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THE 


BOTANISTS 


OF 


PHILADELPHIA 


AND 


THEIR    WORK. 


BY 

JOHN  W.  HARSHBERGER,  Ph.  D. 

INSTRUCTOR    IN    BOTANY,    UNIVERSITY    OF    PENNSYLVANIA  ;     MEMBER     OF 
THE    PENNSYLVANIA     FORESTRY    ASSOCIATION  ;    THE     PHILADELPHIA 
BOTANICAL    CLUB  ;      THE    UNIVERSITY    FIELD     CLUB  ;      THE    DEL- 
AWARE    VALLEY     NATURALISTS'     UNION  ;      THE     BOTANICAL 
SOCIETY     OF    PENNSYLVANIA  ;      THE    BIOLOGICAL     CLUB, 
AND     THE    SOCIETY     OF    BOTANICAL    PHYSIOLOGISTS 
AND    MORPHOLOGISTS. 


PHILADELPHIA 
1899. 


Copyright,  1899, 

by 

John  W.  Hakshberger,  Ph.  D. 


PRESS    OF 

T.  C.  Davis  &  Sons,  529  commerce  st. 

PHILADELPHIA 


PREFACE. 

This  book  is  the  outcome  of  much  correspondence  and 
research.  It  is  a  contribution  to  the  history  of  botany  in 
America.  Until  sucli  a  history  is  written,  the  facts  con- 
cerning our  botanists  must  be  recorded  in  some  permanent 
form.  This,  the  present  work,  endeavors  to  do  for  the 
region  comprised  within  a  radius  of  sixty  miles  of  the  City 
of  Philadelphia.  If  a  circle  of  such  a  radius  be  drawn  on 
a  map,  it  \vill  include  the  cities  of  Lancaster  and  Easton. 
Two  considerations  influenced  the  author  in  adopting  this 
limit.  (1)  It  is  the  one  used  by  the  Philadelphia  Botanical 
Club  in  its  herborization  trips ;  (2)  the  country  within  that 
circle  centralizes  in  Philadelphia. 

Every  available  source  of  information  has  been 
searched  in  the  endeavor  to  obtain  reliable  data.  The 
author  feels  the  shortcomings  of  the  book,  and  he  hopes 
that  the  botanical  public  will  overlook  the  errors  consider- 
ing the  fragmentary  character  of  the  information  available 
in  its  preparation.  It  does  not  claim  to  be  a  complete  list 
of  the  botanists  who  lived  near  Philadelphia;  many  names 
which  ought  to  have  been  included  are  probably  omitted 
for  lack  of  information  concerning  them.  The  author 
believes  that  the  omissions  are  few,  and  that  the  book  gives 
the  names  of  the  greater  number  of  Philadelphia  botanists. 

The  names  are  arranged  according  to  the  dates  of  birth 
in  the  biographical  portion  of  the  book ;  according  to  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet  in  the  general  lists.     They  are  not 


IV  .  PREFACE. 

always  duplicated,  although  those  persons  sketched  in  the 
biographical  portion  may  be  members  of  the  several  botan- 
ical societies  mentioned  in  this  work.  Bibliographies  of 
each  botanist  are  given  as  far  as  the  limits  of  the  book 
would  allow. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  selection  of  illustra- 
tions. Many  photographs  of  persons  and  places  w^ere  made 
available  by  the  kindness  of  friends,  so  that  it  became 
necessary  to  select  a  few  in  order  to  keep  the  number  of  the 
illustrations  within  bounds.  Many  of  the  biographical 
sketches  are  taken  from  various  journals,  all  of  which  are 
duly  recognized  in  foot-notes  as  the  source  of  information. 
The  author  desires  to  thank  the  many  kind  friends  who 
have,  by   suggestion,   materially   lightened    the   labor    of 

jDreparation. 

John  W.  Harshbeeger. 

Philadelphia,  August  1,  1899. 

University  of  Pennsylvania. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Biographies  of  Botanists    "*'■'■■• 

(General  List  of  Botanists.    ''*'''    " 
Appendices    .    .  ''**•• 

i  V-Historical  Account  of  the  S.,'    V. ""'^ 

Serial  Publication,                     ^^  •'""™'«  ^'"' 
"           ^-Horticultu.     H^^r^^  '™-  ^'■^'-'elpl.ia   .    422 
VT    Qi    ^  ,               ^^^^' -f^airmount  Park 
Index '~''^^*<='' "'  N°W  Philadelphia  Tree? ''' 


Vll 

1 

41 
404 


431 
439 


ERRATA. 


Page    7 — For  Humphrey  read  Humphry. 
'•     20 —  "    spice  brush  read  spice  bush. 
43 —  "    Monastery  read  Hermitage. 
54 —  "    St.  Agustine  read  St.  Augustine. 
116 —  "    Phaenogamous  and  Filicoid  write  phaenogamous  and  filicoid. 
131—  "    carex  write  Carex. 

146—  "    "  had  been  lost "  read  "  have  been  lost." 

147—  "    Britten  read  Britton. 

18.5 —  "    red-wood,  Sempervirens  write  red-Avood  Sequoia  sempervirens 
205—  "    "look  up  as  testimonial "  read  " look  upon  as,"  etc. 
221—  "    Rev.  Jesse  Y.  Burke  read  Jesse  Y.  Burk. 
303—1  have  adopted  the  German  spelling  Schaffer  instead  of  Schaefifer ;  the 

being  equivalent  to  the  English  ae. 
309.  note— For  Towendsia  read  Towsendia. 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

WITH     EXPLANATORY     TEXT. 


Frontispiece.  The  Bartram  Coat  of  Arms.  Copied 
from  the  book-plate  pasted  in  the  Bartram  family  bible,  in 
possession  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society.  Photo- 
graphed and  reproduced  in  heraldic  colors  by  Mr.  Julius  F. 
Sachse,  especially  for  this  book.  In  the  old  bible  the  coat  of 
arms,  in  color  and  on  sheepskin,  is  also  found,  but  is  prob- 
ably later  than  the  book-plate,  because  the  motto  incorrectly 
reads :  "  Je  avance,"  and  John  Bartram's  name  below  is  in 
modern  type.  The  description  of  the  Bartram  arms  is 
given  in  a  foot-note  on  page  60  of  this  book. 

1.  Rapids  Wissahickon  Creek,  Fairmount  Park,  repro- 
duced by  the  Beck  Engraving  Company,  from  a  photograph 
taken  by  Rau,  Philadelphia. 

2.  View  of  the  Wissahickon  Creek  about  two  miles 
above  its  mouth,  reproduced  from  a  photograph  taken  by 
Rau. 

3.  Devil's  Pool,  Cresheim  Creek,  Wissahickon,  Fair- 
mount  Park,  taken  by  Rau  before  the  bridge  and  improve- 
ments were  made,  spoiling  the  romantic  beauty  of  the  spot, 
therefore,  about  1885.  The  pool  is  behind  the  boy  seated  at 
the  outlet. 

4.  Eastern  Systematic  Beds,  Greenhouses  and  Biological 
Hall,  University  of  Pennsylvania  (looking  west  in  Sep- 
tember, 1896),  before  the  completion  of  the  Dormitories  to 
the  right.  Photographed  by  F.  R.  Newell,  especially  for  the 
author. 


Vni  LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS. 

5.  University  Botanic  Garden  in  1898,  with  Biological 
Hall  and  Greenhouses  looking  toward  Dormitories.  Repro- 
duced from  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr.  J.  Morton  Boice. 

6.  Pond  and  Eockery,  University  Botanic  Garden 
(looking  south).  Photographed  in  September,  1896,  by 
F.  R.  Newell,  photographer,  especially  for  the  author. 

7.  University  Botanic  Garden,  Pond,  Biological  Hall, 
Palm  House,  and  House  of  Janitor,  in  1898  (looking  north). 
Photographed  by  ^Ir.  J.  Morton  Boice. 

8.  A^iew  in  Palm  House  in  1898,  from  a  photograph 
taken  by  Mr.  Aid  rich  Pennock,  and  reproduced  in  a 
pamphlet  entitled  :  ''  A  Short  History  of  the  Garden,  pre- 
pared for  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  Committee  of  the  Botanic 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,"  by  J.  M.  Macfarlane,  Director  of 
the  Garden  (1899).  Half-tone  plate,  kindly  loaned  by  the 
Director,  for  reproduction  in  this  book. 

9.  Bog,  Iris  Bed  and  Rockery,  University  Botanic 
Garden,  in  September,  1896.  Photographed  by  F.  R.  Newell, 
photograjDher,  especially  for  the  author. 

10.  Group  of  Sarracenias  by  the  Pond,  University 
Botanic  Garden,  in  1898,  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr. 
Aldrich  Pennock,  for  the  above-mentioned  pamphlet,  "  A 
Short  History  of  the  Garden,"  and  the  plate  loaned  for 
reproduction  in  this  book. 

11.  Drive  in  University  Botanic  Garden  (looking  north- 
west in  1898),  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr.  J.  Morton 
Boice. 

12.  Main  Hall,  Horticultural  Building,  Fairmount 
Park,  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Rau,  photographer,  and 
reproduced  by  the  Beck  Engraving  Company,  for  this  book. 

13.  Fern  House,  Horticultural  Building,  Fairmount 
Park,  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Rau,  photographer. 


LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS.  JX 

14.  Bartram's  House  (west  front),  from  an  illustration 
m  Garden  and  Forest,  IX:   123. 

15.  Bartram's  House  (south  side),  showing  open  door  of 
the  newly  (1899)  erected  Memorial  Library,  and  the  cele- 
brated Petre  Pear  Tree  at  the  south-east  corner,  from  a 
photograph  by  Rau. 

16.  Carved  Stone  Work,  Bartram's  House  (east  front). 
The  lower  window  opens  into  the  room  supposed  to 

have  been  Bartram's  study.     Over  this  window  is  a  stone 
with  this  inscription  : 

"IT  IS  GOD  ALONE,  ALMYTY  LORD, 
THE  HOLY  ONE  BY  ME  ADOR'D. 
lOHN  BARTRAM,  1770." 

17.  Bartram's  House  (east  front),  from  a  photograph  by 
Rau. 

Photograph  taken  by  Dr.  J.  F.  Holt,  Professor  in  Boys' 
High  School,  about  1890. 

18.  Big  Cypress,  Bartram's  Garden  (looking  toward  the 
Schuylkill  River).  The  Cypress  was  alive  when  this  photo- 
graph was  taken.  Reproduced  from  a  photograph  taken  by 
Dr.  J.  F.  Holt  about  1890. 

19.  Base  of  Big  Cypress,  Bartram's  Garden,  from  a 
photograph  taken  by  Dr.  J.  F.  Holt  about  1890. 

20.  Bartram's  Garden,  with  large  hemlock  (since 
destroyed),  along  river  front  about  1890.  Photograph  taken 
by  Dr.  J.  F.  Holt. 

21.  Front  of  Humphry  Marshall's  House  at  Marshall- 
ton,  Chester  County,  showing  wooden  observatory  to  the 
left.  From  a  photograph  in  possession  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  taken  by  R.  S.  Redfield,  April  5,  1884. 


X  LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS. 

22.  Front  of  Marshall's  House  after  the  observatory  had 
been  removed.  The  door  to  the  left  leads  into  the  so-called 
greenhouse  of  the  botanist.  From  a  photograjDh  taken  by 
the  author  on  May  22,  1896. 

23.  Gotthilf  Heinrich  Ernst  Muhlenberg,  from  a  paint- 
ing by  I.  Peale.  Cut  executed  by  Goodman  &  Piggott,  and 
printed  in  red  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Julius  F. 
Sachse.  Plate  the  property  of  the  Pennsylvania  German 
Society,  in  the  Proceedings  of  which  Society,  for  1896,  it 
first  appeared,  illustrating  an  article  by  Professor  Thomas 
C.  Porter,  "  The  Pennsylvanian  German  in  the  Field  of  the 
Natural  Sciences." 

24.  Lewis  David  de  Schweinitz,  from  a  photograph 
furnished  by  E.  A.  Rau,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.  The  original 
was  copied  from  a  miniature  painting,  and  this  photograph, 
in  turn,  from  an  engraving  of  this  miniature. 

25.  William  Darlington,  M.  D.,  from  a  miniature  cut 
furnished  by  Dr.  William  Sharpless,  of  West  Chester,  Pa. 

26.  Thomas  Nuttall,  from  a  photograph  copied  from  a 
daguerreotype  by  E.  A.  Rau,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

27.  John  Evans,  from  a  photograph  by  G.  A.  Leiizi, 
Norristown,  Pa.  Loaned  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  E. 
Paxson,  of  Norristown,  Pa. 

28.  Evans'  House  and  Grounds,  with  flume  of  old 
mill.  The  house  was  renovated  and  changed  by  the  present 
owner  in  1896.  From  a  photograph  taken  by  the  author, 
April  3,  1897. 

29.  Woods  and  Ithan  Creek,  Evans'  Garden,  from  a 
photograph  by  the  author,  taken  April  3, 1897. 

30.  Mill  Dam  in  Evans'  Garden  (photographed  in 
1897). 


LIST   OF     ILLUSTRATIOXS.  xi 

31.  Elias   Duraiid,  from   a   photograpli    furnished   by 
E.  A.  Rail,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

32.  .John  H.  Redfield,  from  a  photograph  furnished  by 
E.  A.  Rau,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

33.  Rev.  Francis  WoUe,  from  a  photograph  furnished 
by  E.  A.  Ran,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

34.  Professor  Thomas  C.  Porter,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  from  a 
photograph  taken  by  Alexander  L.  Paeh,  Easton  Pa  in 
1889. 

35.  George  Martin,  M.  D.,  from  a  photograph  furnished 
by  E.  A.  Rau,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

36.  Professor  Thomas  Meehan,  from  a  photograpli 
taken  about  1884.  Loaned  by  his  son,  William  E.  Meehan, 
for  reproduction  in  this  book.  Photograph  by  Hinkle,  of 
Germantown. 

37.  Job  B.  Ellis,  from  an  illustration  in  the  Botanical 
Gazette,  XV  :  299  (1890). 

38.  John  M.  Maisch,  from  a  gelatin  illustration  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  IjXNI  :  1.     January  1894. 

39.  William  M.  Canby,  from  a  photograph  by  J.  Paul 
Brown,  Wilmington,  Delaware;  furnished  to  the  author  in 
1895. 

40.  William  Herbst,  M.  D.,  from  a  valuable  steel 
engraving,  loaned  to  the  author. 

41.  Charles  Schaffer,  M.  D.,  from  a  photograph  by 
Broadbent  Brothers,  Philadelphia;  furnished  to  the  author. 

42.  Joseph  T.  Rothrock,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  from  a  photograph. 

43.  Charles  Mcllvaine,  from  a  half-tone  plate  loaned 
by  him  to  the  author. 

44.  Adolph  W.  Miller,  from  a  half-tone  plate  loaned  to 
the  author.     First  used  in  the  Alumni  Report  Philadelph 
College  of  Pharmacy,  January,  1896. 


fna 


Xll  LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS. 

45.  William  P.  Wilson,  Sc.  D.,  from  a  half-tone  plate 
made  at  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museums,  and  loaned 
to  the  author. 

46.  John  W.  Eckfeldt,  M.  D.,  from  a  photograph  by 
Rothengatter  &  Dillon,  Philadelphia. 

47.  Henry  Trimble,  from  a  photograph  by  F.  Gute- 
kunst  Co.,  Philadelphia,  taken  in  1895. 

48.  George  M.  Beringer,  from  a  photograph  (enamel 
finish)  by  Garns  &  Co.,  Camden,  N.  J.,  taken  in  1895. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Philadelphia  lies  in  a  nearly  level  plain,  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  River  Delaware,  in  39°  57^  1  .b"  N.  latitude,  and 
75°  {)'  2oA"  west  from  Greenwich.  The  city  is  '^iS  miles 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  the  DelaAvare  River,  125  miles 
in  a  direct  line  north-east  of  Washington,  and  ^b  miles 
south-west  from  New  York. 

It  is  situated  in  a  rich  agricultural  region,  protected 
from  the  sweeping  western  and  north-western  storms  by  the 
range  of  hills  known  as  the  Blue  Ridge.  When  first  settled 
by  white  men,  the  region  lying  within  60  miles  radius  of 
the  city,  including  New  Jersey,  was  densely  wooded  with  a 
great  variety  of  fine  forest  trees,  which,  growing  upon  rich 
agricultural  soil  in  south-eastern  Pennsylvania,  were  rapidly 
cut  down  with  the  spread  of  cultivation.  This  region  was  the 
favorite  haunt  of  the  Delaware  Indians.  Intersected  by 
two  great  streams,  the  Delaware  and  Schuylkill  Rivers,  any 
part  of  it  could  be  reached  by  hunting  parties  in  a  short 
time  by  water.  Into  these  two  rivers,  numerous  creeks  and 
rivulets  run,  swelling  the  volume  of  water  which  empties 
into  the  ocean  at  Capes  May  and  Henlopen,  and  supporting 
a  variety  of  important  food-fishes,  such  as  the  salmon,  shad, 
trout  and  cat-fish.  Under  cover  of  the  trees  and  Avatered  by 
the  numerous  streams  which  intersect  the  country,  a  sur- 
prisingly large  number  of  herbaceous  plants  is  to  be  found, 
which,  together  with  the  rich  variety  of  graceful  forest 
trees,  give  a  peculiar  charm  to  the  entire  district.  In  early 
days,  the  scenery  must  have  been  impressively  beautiful 


2  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

before  the  marring  hand  of  man  disturbed  the  equiliin'ium 
of  nature.  Forest  and  plain,  streams  and  rivers  tumbling 
over  numerous  cascades,  rocky,  fern-clad  ravines,  high  hill 
summits  give,  even  at  the  present  day,  a  diversity  to  the 
landscape.  Two  or  three  spots,  preserved  in  their  primitive 
naturalness,  still  attest  to  the  wild  attractiveness  of  the 
scenery,  which,  nowhere  very  bold  or  grand,  gives  to  the 
country  a  peculiarly  peaceful  aspect,  in  harmony  with  the 
moods  of  the  early  Quaker  settlers.  Two  such  places  still 
preserve  the  quiet  beauty  of  the  early  river  scenery,  namely  : 
the  Wissahickon  and  the  Brandywine  regions,  a  stream  of 
the  former  name  emptying  into  the  Schuylkill  in  Fair- 
mount  Park,  and  one  of  the  latter  name  into  the  Delaware 
near  Wilmington.  The  Wissahickon  is  one  of  the  most 
romantic  of  American  streams.  The  slope  of  the  land  on 
each  side  is  high  and  abrupt.  Self-guarded  by  these  rock 
battlements,  it  retains  a  primeval  character.  Along  its 
banks  trees  and  vines  hang  down  to  the  Avater's  edge,  and 
numerous  springs  drip  from  the  rocks.  Its  unbroken  quiet, 
its  dense  woodland,  its  pine-crowned  hills,  its  sunless 
recesses  and  sense  of  separation  from  the  outer  world  con- 
trast strongly  with  the  broad  meadows,  flowing  river,  and 
bright  sunshine  of  the  adjacent  region. 

The  topography  of  the  district  is  no  less  marked  than 
the  general  landscape.  To  the  east  of  the  Delaware,  the 
low-lying  plain  of  southern  New  Jersey,  with  an  elevation 
at  a  few  points  of  from  200  to  300  feet  above  sea  level,  is  a 
very  striking  feature.  This  plain  geologically  dates  its 
origin  to  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary  periods,  and  is  made 
up  of  alluvium  along  the  Delaware  River  and  Atlantic 
Ocean  beaches,  and  of  yellow  gravel,  glass  sand  and  sandy 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  3 

clays,  comjDosing  by  far  the  greater  extent  of  the  so-called 
West  Jersey  tertiary  formation,  with  the  exception  of  a 
narrow  band  of  the  cretaceous  green  sand  and  marl  Ijeds, 
potter's  clay,  fire  sands  and  clay,  which  parallel  its  course 
with  the  Delaware  River,  extending  in  a  north-east  direc- 
tion to  Raritan  Bay.  The  western  water-shed  is  traversed 
by  streams,  which,  rising  in  the  marl  district  and  yellow- 
gravel  region  of  the  interior,  flow  into  the  Delaware,  being 
affected  in  their  lower  reaches  by  tide-water.  The  eastern 
water-shed  is  intersected  by  several  important  streams, 
such  as  Mullica,  Great  Egg  Harbor  and  Toms  Rivers. 
These  rivers  mainly  take  their  rise  in  cedar  swamps  and 
sphagnum  bogs  for  which  the  region  is  noted.  North  of 
the  marls,  as  we  approach  the  mountians,  a  region  in  which 
red  shale  mainly  predominates,  is  entered  upon.  West  of 
the  river,  an  undulating  plain  along  the  river  front  rises 
gradually  to  the  older  paleozoic  hills,  which  reach  an  eleva- 
tion of  two  hundred  feet  or  more.  Back  of  these,  as  the 
Blue  Ridge  is  approached,  the  country  becomes  more 
undulating  and  broken  by  numerous  hills  of  various 
geological  formations. 

Enough  has  been  said  by  way  of  introduction  to  show 
that  these  topographic,  hydrographic  and  geologic  features 
have  an  important  bearing  on  soil  formation,  and  conse- 
quently on  plant  life  and  distribution.  We  find  that  each 
topographic,  hydrographic  and  geologic  district  has  some 
plants  peculiar  to  it.  Each  of  the  plant  communities,  into 
which  the  flora  of  a  district  as  large  as  Philadelphia  can  be 
divided,  can  be  distinguished  by  the  component  plants, 
which,  together  with  their  collective  features,  give  character 
to  the  vegetation  of  the  particular  geological,  topographical 


4  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

or  hydrographical  region.  Such  a  flora  as  that  of  Phila- 
delphia, comjDrising  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  some 
1200  species  at  the  outside,  can  be  classified  into  several  eco- 
logical communities,  such  as  the  Hydrophytic,  Halophytic 
and  Mesophytic,  the  first  of  which,  by  way  of  example, 
may  again  be  further  sub-divided  into  those  societies  which 
comprise  the  water  plants  growing  in  the  Delaware  and 
tributary  streams  and  Atlantic  Ocean,  such  as  the  Plankton 
Society,  the  Hydrocharite  Society,  the  Xereid  Society,  the 
Sea  Grass  Society,  Schizophytic  Society,  Reedy  Swamp 
Society,  the  Swamp  Society,  the  Sphagnum  Bog  Society, 
the  Cedar  Swamp  Society,  etc. 

The  peculiar  attractiveness  of  the  region  and  the  rich- 
ness of  the  flora  have  so  enticed  botanists  into  the  field  that 
systematic  botany  has  been  almost  exclusively  the  depart- 
ment of  the  science  practiced  by  a  majority  of  those  men- 
tioned in  this  work.  Then,  too,  a  living  was  not  to  be 
had  by  the  prosecution  of  botany  in  America  in  the  early 
days.  It  was  pursued  solely  as  a  pastime  and  a  healthy 
recreation  by  busy  men,  physicians,  bankers  and  merchants. 
We  find,  however,  in  looking  over  the  list  of  names,  that 
wherever  botany  was  pursued  as  the  main  object  of  life, 
that  those  men,  who  thus  devoted  their  entire  time  to  tlie 
science,  became  famous.  Excluding  names  of  the  present 
generation,  John  Bartram,  Humphrey  Marshall,  Zaccheus 
Collins,  William  Darlington,  Elias  Durand,  John  Evans,  A. 
P.  Garber,  Joshua  Hoopes,  Peter  Kalm,  Adam  Kuhn,  James 
Logan,  Isaac  Martindale,  Andre  Michaux,  G.  IT.  E.  Muhlen- 
berg, Lewis  D.  von  Schweinitz,  Thomas  Nuttall,  W.  P.  C. 
Barton,  Charles  Pickering,  Frederick  Pursh,  C.  S.  Rafinesque, 
John  Redfield,  and  David  Townsend,  achieved  distinction 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  5 

along  systematic  lines.  It  was  not  until  after  the  perfecting 
of  the  microscope  and  the  epoch-making  period,  beginning 
with  issue  of  Darwin's  Origin  of  Species,  that  the  modern 
study  of  botany  may  be  said  to  have  Ijegun  in  Phila- 
delphia. The  pursuance  of  botany  in  Philadelphia  and  in 
America  generally  can  be  divided  into  four  periods  : 

(1)  The  early  descriptions  of  the  flora  by  persons  not  con- 
versant with  botany,  who  described  the  plants  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  old  herbalists,  chiefly  as  interesting  rarities,  or  as 
useful,  natural  medicines.  The  sect  of  German  Pietists 
presided  over  by  Kelpius,  established  in  1694  on  the  lower 
Wissahickon,  a  garden  where  medicinal  plants  were  raised 
for  use  and  study.  It  may,  therefore,  be  styled  the  first 
garden  in  America  where  a  botannical  arrangement  of 
plants  was  made.*  In  1739  was  published  at  Ley  den, 
in  Holland,  an  essay  in  Latin,  entitled,  "  Experimenta  et 
Meletemata  de  Plantarum  generatione,"  by  the  learned 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  James  Logan.  It  was  after- 
wards, in  1747,  republished  in  London,  with  an  English 
translation,  by  Dr.  John  Fothergill.  The  experiments  and 
observations  were  admirably  illustrative  of  the  doctrine  of 
sexes  of  plants  t  established  by  Jacob  Camerarius.  This 
may  be  said  to  be  the  first  work  of  any  botanical  import- 
ance issued  by  a  Philadelphia  botanist.  Many  of  Logan's 
ideas  smack  of  medieval  scolasticism,  so  that  he  is  properly 
placed  in  the  Pre-Linncean  period. 

(2)  The  period  of  the  ascendency  of  Linna3an  ideas. 
John  Bartram  was  one  of  the  first  persons  who  may  be  said 


*Sachse.     The  Oer^nan  Pietists  of  Pennsylvania,  p.  75. 

t  See  an  article  of  mine,  "James  Logan,"  Botanical  Gazette,  Aug.,  1894. 

18S9.    Sack's  Histori/  of  Botany,  891-092. 

LS49.     Darlington— il/e/Ho?-/a;s  of  Bartram  ct  Marshall,  21. 


b  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

to  have  used  the  Liniuean  system  in  the  study  of  plants. 
Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin  introduced  Bartram  to  European 
botanists,  among  them  Doctor  Gronovius,  Avho  presented  the 
Quaker  botanist  with  Linnaeus's  Systema  Naturae  of  1740.* 
The  overwhelming  influence  of  the  great  Linnaeus  gave  to 
the  botany  of  the  eighteenth  century  an  almost  exclusively 
systematic  and  descriptive  character.  Linnaeus  was  the 
author  of  the  binomial  system  of  nomenclature  of  plants 
and  animals,  which  still  goes  back  to  his  work  as  its  basis, 
and  of  the  artificial  "  sexual  system "  of  classification 
based  on  the  stamens  and  pistils  of  the  flowering  plants, 
whose  functions,  as  reproductive  organs,  were  already 
realized.  The  order  Avhich  he  brought  out  of  the  chaos  of 
descri^Dtive  natural  history  was  a  blessing  so  unalloyed, 
and  his  system  was  so  simple  and  seductive,  that  it  was 
many  years  before  most  botanists  again  began  to  realize 
that  their  science  properly  comprehends  other  problems 
than  those  involved  in  naming  and  pigeon-holing  plants. 

It  was  while  the  LinuEean  enthusiasm  was  at  its  height 
that  the  first  Philadelphia  botanists  ajDpeared  on  the  scene. 

In  the  year  1748,  Peter  Kalm,  a  Swedish  naturalist,  and 
pupil  of  Linnaeus,  visited  Pennsylvania  and  spent  three 
3' ears  in  exploring  America,  and  in  1753  published  his 
travels.f     Doctor  Adam  Kuhn,  of  Philadelphia,  was  prolja- 

*1740.  LiXN-EUS — Systema  naiurce,  in  quo  naturce  regna  trio,  secundum 
classes,  ordines,  genera,  species  systematice  proponuntur  EdiLio  JIauctior.  8tock- 
holmice,  Gottfr.  Kiesewetter. 

Bartram's  copy  of  this  book  is  in  possession  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical 
Society  ;  on  the  title  page  is  the  writing  : 

"John  Bartram  His  booke  sent  to  him  by  Dr.  Gronovius  in  ye  year  174(5." 

That  it  is  authentic  is  shown  by  the  following,  also  written  in  the  book:  "I 
bought  this  book  June  14,  1853,  at  the  sale  at  Mackey's  of  Books  of  Col.  Carr,  who 
married  Bartram's  grand-daughter."  E.  D.  Ingraham.  '•!  bought  this  book  March 
20,  1855,  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  Ingraham's  Library  by  M.  Thomas  &  Sons."    A.  Day. 

11753-61.    P.  Kalm— £■«  Resa  til  Norra  America.    Stockholm,  III  vols. 

1754-64.  KAhyi—Besch7-eibung  der  Reise  nach  dem  nordlichen  Arne/ika. 
Gottingen.    3  Theile  (German  translation). 


im  L' ':  fM*  "^ '  44k-  ."^1^      ".f> }' 


'^^    iiiii^^^**g 


DEVIL'S  POOL,  WISSAHICKON  CREEK 

(circa  1885). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  7 

Wy  the  first  professor  of  botany  in  America,  appointed  in 
1768  to  the  chair  of  botan^^  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  had  the  advantage  of  studying  under  tlie  illus- 
trious Swede,  and  was  said  to  have  been  a  favorite  pupil 
(Linna^o  ex  discipulis  acceptissimus).  John  Bartrani 
next  becomes  pre-eminent  as  a  botanist.  In  the  latter  end 
of  the  year  1785,  Humphrey  Marshall  published  his  Arbus- 
tum  Americanum,*  a  description  of  the  trees  and  shrubs 
native  of  the  United  States.  It  is  the  first  strictly  Ameri- 
can botanical  work.  In  1791  William  Bartram's  Travels  t 
appeared,  and  in  1801  Andre  Michaux'sj  "Oaks  of  North 
America."  Two  years  later,  in  1803,  the  first  elementary 
work  on  botany  by  Prof  B.  S.  Barton,  §  was  published  in 
Philadelphia. 

F.  Andre  Michaux,  ||  in  1810,  issued  his  splendid  history 
of  the  Forest  Trees  of  North  America  (Histoire  des  Arbres 
Forestiers  de  TAmerique  Septentrionale)  with  elegantly 
colored  plates.  An  excellent  catalogue  of  the  native  and 
naturalized  plants  of  North  America  was  published  by  Dr. 
Henry^ihlenberg  at  Lancaster,  in  1813.^    Later,  Frederick 

or  nn    ^il^^^  ^UM^^^y  MARSHALL-.4r6u.r«m  Americanum,  the  American  gruve 

f^^  and  West  Florida,  etc.,  containing  an  account  of  the  soil  and  natural  produc 
tions  of  those  regions.    Philadelphia. 

r^n.r..  ^/^^°^- ^7^^^  MiCHAux-/fr.^orie  des  chines  de  I'Amerique,  on  descriptions  et 
Jiuui  es  de  toutes  les  especes  et  varietes  de  chenes de  I'Amerique septrionale.  Paris  (folio). 

of  venJnhT:   \f  ^^y^Vf  ^"^^^^^  of  Botany/  ;  or  outlines  of  the  natural  history 
of  vegetables.    Illustrated  by  forty  plates.    Philadelphia. 

II 1810.  Francois  Andre  Mien avx- Histoire  des  arbres  forestiers  de  VAmcrin  ue 
septentrionale,  considerees  principalement  sous  les  rapports  de  leur  emploi  dans  les 
aUs  et  deleur  introduction  dans  le  commerce,  ainsi  que  d^apres  les  avantagcs,  qnils 
peuventoffrxraux  gouvernements  en  Europe,  et  aux  personnes,  qui  veulent  former 
de  grandes  plantations.    Paris. 

^1813.  Mvni^K^^KKG-Catalogus  Plantarum  America;  Septentrionalis  hue 
^csque  Cogmtarum,  Indigenarum  et  Cicurum;  or,  a  Catalogue  of  the  Hitherto 
known  .^atlve  and  Naturalized  Plants  of  North  America.  Arranged  according  to 
the  Sexual  System  of  Linnaeus.    Lancaster,  isi;;.    Wm.  Ilnmilton.  octavo   pp  iv     1V> 


5  TPIE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Pursh  published  in  London,  in  1814,  his  vaUial)le  and  com- 
prehensive work,  Flora  Americae  Septentrionalis."^' 

Arranged  according  to  the  Linn^an  s>^stem  there  ap- 
peared in  1818,  in  two  volumes,  Dr.  William  P.  C.  Barton'sf 
Compendium  Flone  Philadelphica?,  a  hastily  digested,  but 
thoroughly  useful  liand-book  of  tlie  region. 

Botanical  works  and  papers  began  now  to  multiply, 
and  the  third  period  of  Philadelphia  botany  was  fairly 
entered  upon  with  the  publication  in  1818  of  Nuttall's 
"  Genera  of  North  American  Plants,'"  at  Philadelphia. | 

(3)  Development  of  the  Natural  System  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  doctrine  of  the  constancy  of  species.  A 
new  direction  to  the  study  of  systematic  botany,  and  mor- 
phology was  given  in  France,  where  the  sexual  system  had 
never  met  with  great  accei:)tance.  Bernard  de  Jussieu  and 
his  nephew,  Antoine  Laurent  de  Jussieu,  taking  up  Lin- 
naeus' profounder  and  properly  scientific  efforts,  made  the 
working  out  of  the  natural  system,  in  Linnaeus'  own  oi)inion 
the  highest  aim  of  botany,  the  task  of  their  lives.  The 
key  was  given  by  the  study  of  the  order  Ranunculaceffi  in 
the  Jardin  des  Plantes.  In  1789  Jussieu's  System  appeared. 
It  was  not  until  1815  that  the  natural  system  of  Jussieu 
was  received  by  the  botanists  of  Philadelphia.  In  that 
year  Abbe  Correa  published  for  the  use  of  his  class  in 
Philadelphia  a  reduction  of  the  genera  of  Muhlenberg's 
Catalogue  according  to   the  system  of  Jussieu.     This  was 


*1814.  Pl'RSH — Flora  Americce  septentrionalis,  or  a  systematic  arrangement 
and  description  of  the^tlants  of  North  America.    London,  II  vols. 

flSlS.  W.  P.  C.  Barton— CotJipendmm  Florce  Philadelphica; ,  coyiiaining  a 
description  of  the  indigenous  and  naturalized  jilants  found  ivithin  a  circuit  often 
miles  around  Philadelphia.  Thiladelphia,  II  vols.  8.  I.  Preface  251  pp.  II.  234  pp. 
cum  indices. 

JISIS.  NuTTALL— T/i«  Genera  of  North  American  Plants,  and  a  catalogue  of 
the  species  of  the  year  1S17.    Philadelphia,  II  vols. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  \) 

appended  to  a  second  edition  of  the  catalogue  issued  in  1818 
by  Solomon  Conrad,  and  was  probably  the  first  attem})t  in 
the  United  States  to  group  our  plants  by  the  natural  method. 

In  1826,  in  conjunction  with  some  of  his  intimate 
friends,  Dr.  William  Darlington,  of  West  Chester,  assisted 
in  organizing  the  Chester  County  Cabinet  of  Natural  Science, 
of  which  institution  he  was  president  from  its  origin ;  in  the 
same  year  he  published  his  "  Florula  Cestrica,"*  being  a 
catalogue  of  plants  growing  around  the  l)orough  of  West 
Chester,  Pennsylvania.  This  paved  the  way  for  a  large  and 
more  comprehensive  manual  of  the  botany  of  Chester 
County,  which  appeared  in  1837  under  title  of  "  Flora 
Cestrica."t  A  third  edition  of  this  book  appeared  in  1853. 
This  work  at  the  time  of  its  issue  was  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete local  floras  extant,  and  is  still  a  model  for  all  works 
of  a  similar  character.  The  descriptions  are  clear,  lucid  and 
minute,  and  its  use  even  to-day  is  not  replaced  by  a  manual 
of  more  modern  issue. 

The  study  of  the  cryptogams  received  a  great  impetus 
at  the  hands  of  Lewis  D.  von  Schweinitz,  who  })u])lished  in 
1831  a  synopsis  of  North  American  fungi,  "  Syno})sis  Fun- 
gorum  in  America  Borealia  Media  Digentium."| 

Elias  Durand,  one  of  the  most  acute  systematists  of  his 


*lS2r).  Darlington— FZorttZa  Cestrica:  an  essay  towards  a  catalogue  of  the 
phtenogainous  plants,  native  and  naturalized,  growing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  borough 
of  West  Chester,  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  ivith  brief  notices  of  their  prop- 
erties and  uses  in  medicine,  rural  economy  and  the  arts.  West  Chester,  4  min.,  pp. 
XV.,  152,  3  tab.  col. 

tl8o7.  Darlington — Flora  Cestrica  :  an  attempt  to  enumerate  and  describe 
the  flowering  and  fHicoid  plants  of  Chester  County,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
West  Chester,  8.    xxiii,  640  pp.    1  map  col. 

11831.  Schweinitz— »S'v»o;).9i\s  Fungorum  in  America  Borealia  Media  Digen- 
tium.    Trans.  Amer.  Thilos.  Soc.  N.  S.,  IV  p.  141  (177  pp.,  4to.,  1  plate). 


10  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

day,  who,  if  he  had  had  proper  encouragement,  wouhl  have 
been  one  of  the  shining  lights  in  the  botanical  firmament, 
contributed  several  botanical  papers  to  the  Journal  of  the 
Acackmy  of  Xatural  Sciences,  namely,  descriptions  of  Heer- 
niann's  and  of  Pratt  en's  collections."^ 

The  views  of  European  botanists  were  undergoing  a 
change  under  the  influence  of  the  history  of  development 
and  knowledge  of  the  minuter  anatomy  and  embryology  of 
the  cryptogams  (1840-1860).  Schleiden's  "  Grundziige  der 
w^ssenschaftlichen  Botanik  "  f  appeared,  but  its  chief  title  is 
Die  Botanik  als  inductive  Wissenschaft,  which  indicates  the 
point  on  which  Schleiden  laid  most  stress.  His  great  object 
was  to  place  the  stud}^,  which  had  been  so  disfigured  in  the 
text-books,  on  the  same  footing  with  physics  and  chemistry, 
in  which  the  spirit  of  genuine  inductive  enquiry  into  nature 
had  already  asserted  itself  in  opposition  to  the  nature- 
philosophy  of  the  immediately  preceding  years.  This 
change  in  European  thought  does  not  seem  to  have  had 
much  effect  on  the  botanists  of  Philadelphia,  who  were  busy 
in  working  up  the  plants  collected  in  various  parts  of  Xorth 
America,  both  by  private  individuals  and  by  the  botanists 
of  the  trans-continental  surveys. 

(4)  The  year  1860  may  be  said  to  mark  the  beginning  of 
the  modern  era  of  botany.     Darwin's  Origin  of  Species,! 


*PLAxr.E  HEEPOiAXXiANiE— Z>escr/ptio?is  of  y^ew  Plants  collected  in  South 
California,  by  Dr.  A.  T.  Heermann,  Naturalist  attached  to  the  Survey  of  the  Pacitic 
Railroad  route,  under  Lieut.  R.  S.  Williamson,  by  E.  Durand  and  Theo.  C.  Hilgard. 
Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.    2nd  ser.,  Ill,  37-40. 

11842-43.    Schleiden — Grundziige  der  wissenschaftlichcn  Botanik,  nebst  einer 

methodologischen  Einleitung  als   Anlcitung  zum  Studium  der  Fflanze.    Leipzig. 

2  Theile. 

1S4.5-46— Second  edition.  (Die  Botanik,  als  inductive  Wissenschaft  behandelt.) 
tLS59.    Darwin — On  the  origin  of  species  by  means  of  natural  selection  ;  or, 

the  preservation  of  favored  races  in  the  struggle  for  life.    London.    John  Murray 

octavo  pp.  ix.,  502. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADKLPIIIA.  11 

published  in  1850,  was  an  epoch-making  book.  It  intro- 
duced the  modern  period  of  scientific  thought. 

With  the  exception  of  Thomas  Meehan,  Joseph  T.  lioth- 
rock,  Thomas  C.  Porter,  Charles  Pickering,  John  II.  Red- 
field,  Thomas  P.  James,  Benjamin  M.  Everhart,  Rev.  Francis 
Wolle,  Mary  Treat,  AVilliam  P.  Wilson,  J.  Gibbons  Hunt, 
Emily  L.  Gregory,  John  M.  Macfarlane,  Job  B.  ElHs,  George 
Rex,  H.  C.  Wood,  Henry  Trimble,  Edson  S.  Bastin,  Ida 
Keller,  Henry  Kraemer,  J.  W.  Harshberger  and  H.  C.  Porter, 
very  few  of  the  Philadelphia  botanists  have  advanced  mate- 
rially the  science  of  botany  according  to  the  progress  made 
in  morphology,  physiology  and  taxonomy.  The  others 
have  unfortunately  given  their  attention  to  herborizing, 
and  have  overlooked  the  deeper  and  more  interesting  prob- 
lems which  are  still  to  be  worked  out,  such  as  the  reasons 
underlying  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  })lants  in 
the  region,  phenological  inquiries  or  the  philosophy  of 
the  time  of  flowering ;  physiological  problems  suggested 
by  growth  and  development,  and  ecological  questions  sug- 
gested by  the  environmental  conditions.  It  is  to  be  hoped, 
however,  that  with  the  modern  training  to  be  had  at 
several  institutions  of  learning,  our  botanists  will  give  up 
discussing  the  difl'erences  between  species  already  described 
and  will  devote  their  energies  to  advancing  modern 
botanical  thought.  The  facilities  for  those  Avho  desire  to 
obtain  a  modern  botanical  training  are  many.  The  oldest 
botanical  centre,  namely,  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
presents,  in  its  Biological  School,  a  place  where  such 
instruction  may  be  had. 

A  history  of  the  development  of  botany  in  connection 


12  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PPIILADP:LPHIA. 

with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  is  interesting.*  "  So 
far  as  now  appears,  Dr.  Adam  Kuhn,  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus, 
was  the  first  botanical  professor  in  Philadelphia,  or  in  the 
country,  being  appointed  in  the  year  ITGS.  Tliere  is,  how- 
ever, no  record  of  any  important  work  connected  with  liis 
name.  As  early  as  the  year  1800,  Dr.  Benjamin  Smith 
Barton  was  teaching  botany  in  Philadelphia,  and  num- 
bered among  his  pupils  in  180o-'04,  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  William  Darlington,  who  subsequently 
became  known  as  one  of  the  most  learned  and  exact 
botanists  of  his  day  in  this  or  any  other  country.  Dr. 
Darlington  says  of  his  preceptor,  'that  he  did  more  than 
any  of  his  contemporaries  in  diftusing  a  taste  for  the 
natural  sciences  among  the  young  men  who  then  resorted 
to  that  school.'  He  also  published  in  1803  'the  first 
American  elementary  work  on  botany,  at  Philadelphia.'  " 

"  The  minutes  of  a  trustee  meeting  held  April  7,  1812, 
show  that  '  a  letter  was  received  from  Dr.  Barton  request- 
ing the  use  of  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  University  to 
deliver  his  lectures  on  natural  history  and  botany  in.'  The 
request  could  not  be  granted.  In  July,  1813,  Dr.  Barton 
resigned  his  professorship  of  materia  medica,  a  position 
Avhich  does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  bed  of  roses.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Chapman.  The  following  minute  appears 
of  a  trustee  meeting  of  November  7,  1815  :" 

"  Whereas,  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  by  their 
Act  passed  the  19th  March,  1805,  granted  to  the  trustees  of 
this  institution  out  of  the  moneys  due  to  the  State,  the  sum 
of  three  thousand  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them 

*  I  have  drawn  largely  at  this  point  on  Dr.  J.  T.  Rothroek's  sketch  of  the 
Biological  School,  published  in  the  Circular  of  Information  Bureau  of  Education, 
entitled,  "Benjamin  Franklin  and  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  "  (1893). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADPZLPHIA.  13 

to  establish  a  garden  for  the  improvement  of  the  science  ot 
botany ,  Resolved,  that  Mr.  Rawle,  Mr.  Chew  and  Mr.  Bur.l 
be  a  committee  to  consider  and  report  the  best  methcjd 
of  carrying  the  said  intention  of  the  Legishiture  into  effect." 

"February  G,  1816,  at  a  trustee  meeting  Mr.  C.  8. 
Rafinesque  and  Dr.  William  P.  C.  Barton  ottered  them- 
selves as  candidates  for  the  professorship  of  natural  history 
and  botany  in  the  University.      Dr.  Barton  was  appointed." 

"  The  trustees  received  March  19,  1816,  ^a  letter  from  a 
society  of  gentlemen  called  the  Cabinet  of  Sciences,  relating 
to  a  botanical  garden.  It  was  referred  to  the  committee  on 
that  subject.  Mr.  Binney  and  Mr.  Gibson  were  added  to 
the  committee  on  botanical  garden.'  On  April  2,  the  com- 
mittee was  authorized  to  solicit  subscriptions  from  the 
public  towards  the  accompHshment  of  that  end.  Nothing 
having  been  accomplished  by  meeting  with  the  Cabinet  of 
Sciences,  on  April  16  the  committee  announced  that  tliey 
had  published  their  application  for  aid  in  the  public 
papers.  By  order  of  the  board,  the  moneys  available  for  the 
botanical  garden  were  put  at  interest,  subject  to  future  call. 
Early  in  1817  forty-two  acres  of  ground  had  been  purchased 
for  the  botanical  garden.  The  records  show  that  it  was 
located  in  Penn  Township,  near  the  '  Canal  Road,'  and  it 
was  ordered  that  enough  for  the  purposes  of  the  garden 
should  be  '  fenced  of!V  " 

"  Stringent  economy  had  apparently  become  a  necessity, 
and  in  1819,  after  two  years'  ownership,  the  trustees  were 
considering  the  propriety  of  selling  the  ground  purchased 
for  a  botanical  garden,  and  the  professor  of  botany  was 
'  allowed  the  use  of  the  yard  south  of  the  University,  as 
the  same  is  now  inclosed,  for  the  cultivation  of  plants  there, 
at  his  own  expense,  during  the  pleasure  of  the  board.'  " 


14  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

'  "  On  October  4,  1818,  the  faculty  of  natural  history  was 
instituted,  and  the  following  professorships  created :  First, 
botany  and  horticulture ;  second,  natural  history,  including 
geology,  zoology,  and  comparative  anatomy ;  third,  miner- 
alogy, and  chemistry,  as  applied  to  agriculture  and  the  arts." 
"  The  only  signs  of  life  in  1820  in  the  department  of 
science  were  now  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  con- 
sider the  propriety  and  the  cost  of  erecting  a  greenhouse, 
and  the  request  from  the  janitor  that  he  be  allowed  the  use 
of  Prof.  Cooper's  room  for  the  winter,  to  preserve  the  plants 
'  he  had  collected  to  adorn  the  grounds  and  to  encourage 
the  love  of  botany.'  The  request  w^as  granted.  The  report 
of  the  committee  on  the  greenhouse  was  laid  on  the  table." 
Prof  Barton,  in  1822,  writes  to  the  board  that  he  had 
lectured  in  the  winters  of  1816,  1817,  1818,  1819,  1820, 
1821,  and  further,  that  he  had  refused  to  receive  the  fees 
from  the  students.  The  botanical  instruction  in  1821  was 
discontinued  because  a  class  could  not  be  formed.  The 
crisis  in  the  school  of  natural  history,  however,  was  reached 
in  March,  1827.  It  appears  that  no  lectures  had  been  given 
for  several  years  by  the  professor  of  natural  history, 
including  geology,  or  by  the  professor  of  comparative 
anatomy,  and  that  the  professor  of  botany  was  then  hold- 
ing the  professorship  of  materia  medica  in  the  newly- 
started  Jefferson  Medical  College.  Early  in  1828  the 
faculty  of  natural  history  was  abolished. 

"  Now,  however,  it  appears  that  the  medical  faculty, 
which  would  have  no  botany  while  Dr.  Barton  occupied 
the  chair,  had  become  suddenly  solicitous  aljout  that  science, 
and,  as  a  result,  the  trustees  re-establislied  the  chair  of 
botany  in  1829,  placing  it  on  the  same  footing  as  it  was 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  15 

before  the  institution  of  the  facuhy  of  natural  science,  and 
Mr.  Solomon  AV.  Conrad  was  speedily  chosen  to  fill  it.  The 
appointment  was  probaldy  the  best  that  could  have  been 
made."  Mr.  Conrad,  who  died  in  1831,  was,  as  stated  by  one 
of  his  contemporaries,  an  "  amiable  man,"  and  an  "  excellent 
botanist,"  was  probably  the  earliest  to  "  attempt  to  group 
our  plants  by  the  natural  method." 

Dr.  George  B.  Wood  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  materia 
medica  in  the  University  in  1835.  In  addition  to  the 
creation  of  an  admirable  cabinet  of  drawings  and  specimens 
illustrative  of  materia  medica,  Dr.  Wood  erected  a  spacious 
greenhouse,  in  connection  with  a  garden,  and  stocked  them 
with  many  varieties  of  rare  tropical  and  exotic  plants, 
which  he  exhibited  as  illustrations  of  the  subjects  treated  in 
his  lectures.  In  1865  Dr.  Wood  endowed  an  auxiliary 
faculty  of  medicine  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
including  a  chair  of  botany,  to  which  his  nephew,  Dr. 
Horatio  C.  Wood,  was  appointed  in  1866.  He  lield  this 
professorship  for  ten  years,  resigning  the  chair  of  botany  for 
that  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  made  vacant 
by  the  death  of  Prof.  Joseph  Carson.  Dr.  Joseph  T.  Roth- 
rock  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  removal 
of  Dr.  H.  C.  Wood  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and 
therapeutics,  a  position  which  he  still  holds.  Botany, 
under  his  direction,  received  a  great  stimulus,  when  on 
December  4,  1881,  the  School  of  Biology,  erected  by  the 
liberality  of  Dr.  Horace  Jayne,  was  opened  to  students. 
Teaching  began  at  once,  with  modern  biological  methods. 
Later  Dr.  William  P.  Wilson  was  appointed  Professor  of  the 
Anatomy  and  Physiology  of  Plants,  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  Rothrock,  who  devoted  himself  to  the  svstematic  side 


16  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  botany.  All  of  the  departments  of  botany,  since  the 
establishment  of  the  school,  have  received  consideration  at 
the  University.  Morphology,  taxonomy,  physiology,  paleo- 
botany, economic  botany,  forestry,  pathological  and 
geographical  botany,  have  been  taught  at  various  times  ; 
chief  stress,  however,  being  laid  on  morphology,  taxonomy 
and  physiolog}^,  as  the  departments  of  botany  most  neces- 
sary to  students.  A  post-graduate  class  in  botany,  composed 
of  student  candidates  for  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy, 
has  been  maintained.  The  teaching  force  of  late  years, 
consisting  of  Drs.  Rothrock,  Wilson,  Macfarlane,  Harsh- 
berger  and  Porter,  has  maintained  the  standard  desirable 
in  a  modern  school  of  botany. 

The  Herbarium  of  the  University,  through  the  gener- 
osity of  Mr.  Isaac  Burk,  possesses  a  singularly  complete  repre- 
sentation of  the  flora  of  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  con- 
sisting of  about  six  thousand  specimens  from  this  and 
other  localities.  ]Mr.  Aubrey  H.  Smith  presented  by  will 
his  excellent  herbarium,  which,  with  the  collection  made  by 
the  late  Joseph  Leidy,  forms  a  most  excellent  working 
herbarium.  Many  specimens  from  the  earlier  government 
expeditions,  and  suites  of  the  collections  made  by  Parry, 
Hall,  Barbour,  Vasey,  Bolander,  Palmer,  Lemmon,  Canby, 
Ward,  Pringle,  Bebb,  Wolfe,  Curtis,  Reverchon,  Rothrock, 
Harshberger  and  others,  are  represented.  The  herbarium 
also  contains  a  large  proportion  of  our  native  ferns,  mosses 
and  lichens,  and  over  two  thousand  species  of  fungi, 
all  of  which  have  been  carefully  determined.  A  museum 
of  economic  botany  was  started  l)y  Dr.  Rothrock  in  con- 
nection with  the  School  of  Biology,  and  further  additions 
were  made  in  material  collected  on  his  cruise  to  the  West 
Indies  in  the  winter  of  1889-1890. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPIIIA.  17 

The  University  Botanic  Garden  was  begun  with  the 
erection  of  the  building  for  the  School  of  Biology.  It  con- 
sisted, in  1888,  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground 
immediately  surrounding  the  Biological  Scliool,  planted 
with  a  few  systematic  and  experimental  beds.  The  planted 
grounds  were  surrounded  by  high  gravel  banks,  overgrown 
with  weeds.  It  was  not  until  1890,  when  a  large  part  of 
this  glacial  gravel  deposit  had  been  sold  and  carted  away, 
that  the  botanic  garden  may  be  said  to  have  had  its 
inception.  Dr.  Joseph  T.  Rothrock,  Professor  of  Botany, 
supervised  the  laying  out  of  the  ground  to  the  east  and 
west  of  the  laboratory,  which  was  planted  to  grass,  with  trees 
and  shrubbery  arranged  for  landscape  effect.  A  tank  pond 
of  considerable  size  was  also  built  for  the  growing  of  various 
w^ater-plants.  A  leaii-to  conservatory  for  the  growth  of  hot- 
house plants  was  also  a  feature  of  the  garden  at  this  time. 
The  ground,  as  laid  out  by  Dr.  Rothrock  with  systematic 
regard  to  the  position  of  the  plants,  included  finally  about 
an  acre  of  ground  surrounding  the  laboratory  building. 
Several  rare  shrubs  were  set  out,  among  them,  Neviusia 
Alahamensis,  an  anomalous  rosaceous  plant  found  growing 
wild  in  the  Southern  states.  The  grass  plots,  shrubbery  and 
systematic  beds  then  occupied  a  terraced  depression  front- 
ing on  Pine  Street. 

The  development  of  this  garden,  however,  took  place 
when  Mr.  C.  C.  Harrison  accepted  the  provostship  of  the 
University.  In  1893,  immediately  after  his  appointment  to 
be  Professor  of  Botany,  Dr.  John  M.  Macfarlane  submitted 
plans  for  the  establishment  of  the  botanical  garden,  on  the 
triangular  piece  of  land  back  of  the  biological  laboratory. 
Various  circumstances  conspired  to  prevent  the  carrying 


18  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

out  of  these  plans  until  the  autumn  of  1S04,  when  Dr.  Mac- 
farlane  was  asked  to  become  Professor-in-Cliarge  of  the 
Biological  School.  Through  the  fostering  care  of  Provost 
Harrison  and  Vice-Provost  FuUerton,  the  work  steadily 
advanced  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Macfarlane.  The 
gravel  bank,  overgrown  with  weeds,  rapidly  assumed  its 
present  pleasing  appearance. 

There  are  over  3000  distinct  specimens  growing  in  the 
gardens,  while  nearly  1500  more  are  all  but  ready  for  plant- 
ing. The  lawns  are  300  feet  in  length,  the  eastern  ls.^Yn 
being  157  feet  long  and  110  feet  wide,  subdivided  into  41 
small  beds,  whose  dimensions  are  45  feet  in  length  by  oh 
feet  in  width.  The  western  lawn  is  an  almost  exact  coun- 
terpart of  the  eastern  lawn.  The  beds  contain  a  large  num- 
ber of  species  of  plants,  arranged  systematically  according 
to  the  Engler  and  Prantl  system.  The  plants  are  arranged 
and  labeled  with  the  scientific  and  common  name,  the 
native  place  or  habitat  and  the  medicinal  property,  if  any. 
The  donations  of  seeds  and  plants  to  the  garden  include 
gifts  from  the  botanical  gardens  of  Edinburgh,  St.  Peters- 
burgh,  Dublin,  Jena,  Cambridge  and  other  European  botani- 
cal centres.  On  the  terraced  area  further  back  a  physio- 
logical grouping  of  flowering  plants  is  now  being  made. 
Here  separate  beds  are  given  to  climbing,  tendril-bearing, 
succulent,  spiny,  insectivorous,  variegated  and  other  series. 
Thus  similar  changes  produced  by  environment  on  species 
that  have  no  systematic  affinity  can  be  graphically  demon- 
stated  to  the  student. 

The  arboretum  is  from  three  to  five  acres  in  extent,  and 
will  only  be  excelled  by  those  of  Harvard  University  and 
the  Shaw  Gardens,  near  St.  Louis.     The  greater  part  of  the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  19 

property  will  be  devoted  to  the  arboretum,  which  already 
contains  a  number  of  trees  of  interest  and  beauty.  These 
are  planted  in  systematic  order  along  the  drive-way  which 
enters  on  Woodland  Avenue  and  encircles  the  garden.  A 
magnificent,  ornamental  bed,  fashioned  somewhat  after  the 
beautiful  bed  in  the  famous  Kew  Gardens,  in  London,  is  a 
feature.  It  is  200  feet  long  and  8  feet  wide,  and  is  filled  with 
herbaceous  plants.  Unlike  the  series  of  small  beds  before 
referred  to,  it  will  not  be  a  scientific  feature,  but  will  l)e  the 
chief  ornament  of  the  gardens.  The  plants  are  so  arranged 
as  to  present  a  succession  of  flowers  from  early  spring  to  late 
fall. 

The  contractor  in  excavating  left  a  deep  cut  in  which 
the  pond,  bog  garden,  iris  bed,  rockery  and  fernery  are  situ- 
ated. The  pond,  of  irregular  shape,  this  last  season  (1898) 
was  filled  with  a  splendid  growth  of  ac[uatics,  water  lilies, 
lotuses  and  water  hyacinths  being  conspicuous,  while  the 
aquatics,  Marsilia  quadrifolia,  llyriophyllum,  Nitella,  Chara 
Limnobium,  Limnocharis  and  Trianea  hogotensis  grew 
luxuriantly.  The  bog  garden  is  situated  along  the  ditch 
connecting  the  Victoria  tank  and  the  lake.  In  separate 
pockets  formed  by  stones  set  on  end  are  grown  plants 
which  flourish  in  a  water-logged  soil,  such  as  Decodon  verti- 
cillatus,  Acorus  calamuff,  Typlia  latifolia,  Sparganium  eurycar- 
pum,  Drosera  rotundifolia,  Sarracenia  purpurea,  S.  ftava, 
Helonias  bullata,  Orontium  aquaticum,  species  of  Carex,  of 
Cyperus,  of  Sagittaria,  of  Juncus,  and  a  host  of  others  too 
numerous  to  mention.  The  iris  bed  adjoins  the  bog  garden, 
and  is  connected  with  it  by  a  pipe  through  which  a  water 
supply  is  furnished  to  the  roots  of  the  plants.  The  rock 
garden  covers  the  sides  of  the  cut  in  Avhiclithe  lake  is  situa- 


20  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrHIA. 

ted,  and  is  provided  with  separate  pockets  for  every  plant 
after  the  rockery  in  the  botanic  garden  at  Edinburgh. 
Here  are  grown  a  large  number  of  rock  plants  and  herba- 
ceous ones  of  a  gaudy  color.  Narrow  pathways  intersect 
the  rock  garden  in  every  direction,  so  that  a  person  can 
study  the  plants  closely,  as  well  as  in  mass.  The  fernery, 
hardly  yet  thoroughly  established,  is  in  a  glen  through 
which  runs  a  cindered  path  under  trellis-work  devoted  to 
climbing  plants,  intended  to  protect  the  delicate  ferns 
beneath.     Nearby  is  the  Bryarium  for  the  growth  of  mosses. 

The  surrounding  shrubberies  have  been  laid  out  so  as 
to  illustrate  geographic  groupings  of  plants.  One  is  devoted 
to  the  swamp  shrubs  of  the  eastern  States,  such  as  the  white 
azalea,  white  birch,  spice  brush,  swamp  magnolia,  androme- 
das,  huckleberries,  cedar  and  juniper.  Another  includes 
the  rhododendrons,  azaleas  and  kalmias  of  our  woods. 
Under  the  shade  of  these,  native  and  introduced  herba- 
ceous plants  thrive,  that  would  soon  shrivel  if  exposed  to 
hot  suns. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Provost  Harrison  important 
additions  were  made  to  the  plant  houses  at  the  close  of  the 
season  of  '97.  These  houses  now  represent  more  than  9000 
feet  of  glass  surface,  and  consist  of  eight  houses  in  addition 
to  propagating  frames.  One  of  the  greenhouses,  immediately 
connected  with  the  laboratory  for  plant  physiology,  is  in 
part  utilized  as  a  temperate  house,  in  part  for  the  work  of 
students  in  plant  physiology.  An  adjoining  house,  34  X  11 
feet,  is  arranged  as  a  fernery,  and  contains  a  representative 
collection  of  ferns  and  their  allies.  Opening  from  the  last 
are  a  propagating  house,  40  X  10  feet,  a  stove  house,  46  X 
18  feet,  and  a  palm  house,  59  X  28  feet.     The  two  last  now 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  21 

contain  a  varied  collection  of  pitcher  plants,  aroids,  melasto- 
mids,  sensitive  plants,  palms,  marantas,  bananas,  Vjamboos, 
etc.  To  the  right  of  the  palm  house  is  a  succulent  house 
containing  a  type  collection  of  cacti,  euphorbias,  gasterias, 
aloes,  agaves,  crassulas  and  otlier  forms  that  are  more  or 
less  similarly  modified  to  live  in  arid  regions  and  success- 
fully resist  long  periods  of  drought.  On  the  left  side  of  the 
palm  house  are  two  'structures,  each  59  X  13  feet.  Tlie 
inner  of  the  two  now  contains  a  fair  collection  of  sub- 
tropical and  tropical  orchids  donated  by  Mr.  LeBoutillier, 
and  more  recently  by  ^Nlrs.  George  Wilson.  Sharing  the 
house  with  these  are  parent  species  and  hybrid  derivatives 
of  the  popular  begonias  and  gloxinias,  as  well  as  specimens 
of  the  curious  South  African  genus  Streptocarpus,  two  spe- 
cies of  which  show  only  one  of  the  two  seed  leaves,  tliougli 
this  may  attain  a  length — as  in  one  specimen  exhibited  in 
the  greenhouses — of  two  to  three  feet.  Species  of  Oxalis  and 
Solanum,  the  curious  simple-leaved  Chorizema  from  Australia, 
and  many  other  sub-tropical  types  of  great  value  in  under- 
graduate and  graduate  teaching  find  a  home  here.  The 
outer  or  cool  house  lodges  many  plants  of  great  botanical 
interest,  chief  among  these  being  the  celebrated  venus  fly- 
trap, several  native  sundews,  groups  of  our  southern  sarra- 
cenias,  and  the  butterworts,  all  celebrated  as  fly  catchers. 
Recently,  by  permission  of  the  highway  authorities  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  through  a  municipal  act,  Pine  Street, 
between  Thirty-eighth  and  Thirty-sixth  Streets,  has  been 
taken  from  the  city  plans.  The  area  thus  vacated  has  been 
converted  (1898)  into  a  fine  walk  lined  with  trees,  shrubs 
and  rhododendrons.  At  the  Thirty-ninth  Street  entrance  a 
memorial  gate-way,  in  keeping  with  the  dormitory  building 


22  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

adjoining,  has  been  erected  by  the  Class  of  73.  A  vivarium 
or  building  for  small  animals  is  in  course  of  erection  in  the 
garden  enclosure  immediately  in  the  rear  and  to  the  west 
of  Biological  Hall.  A  small  garden  is  much  better  for 
scientific  work  than  a  large  one,  the  cost  of  maintenance  of 
the  latter  being  considerable.  The  University  garden  of 
five  or  six  acres  is  therefore  admirably  adapted  to  its  pur- 
pose, being  near  to  the  laboratory  where  the  botanical 
instruction  is  given.  The  illustrations  will  convey  better 
than  words  the  appearence  of  the  garden  after  it  had  been 
planted  in  1896,  and  again  after  the  construction  of  the 
greenhouse  additions  and  vivarium  in  1899. 

The  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania  was  instituted 
at  the  University  of  Pennsjdvania,  October  23,  1897.  Under 
its  auspices  a  fortnightly  series  of  popular  meetings  and  of 
scientific  meetings  have  been  held  since  organization,  while 
during  the  fall,  spring  and  summer,  courses  of  laboratory 
demonstrations  and  field  excursions  have  been  held.  A 
great  variety  of  interesting  papers  were  presented  during 
the  first  year  of  the  society's  existence.  Living  plants  from 
various  greenhouses,  charts,  diagrams,  lantern  slides  and 
specimens  added  very  much  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
several  meetings.  The  class  meetings  were  held  at  the 
Biological  Hall  of  the  University,  where  the  greenhouses 
and  garden  afi'orded  much  interesting  and  valuable  material. 
The  general  meetings  were  held  in  the  auditorium  of  the 
Harrison  Chemical  Laboratory.  The  following  persons  have 
interested  themselves  in  the  movement :  Dr.  John  M.  Macfar- 
lane,  Professor  of  Botany ;  Dr.  Henry  Kraemer,  Messrs. 
Pvoberts    LeBoutellier,  W.  H.  AV almslev,  Drs.  A.  AV.  Aliller, 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPJII A.  23 

H.  C.  Porter  and  J.  W.  Harshberger.  A  list  of  tlie  active 
members  of  the  society  is  given  in  an  appendix. 

The  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  has  also  been 
an  influential  botanical  centre.  Several  excellent  botanists 
have  occupied  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and  botany,  as 
John  M.  Maisch,  Edson  S.  Bastin,  Henry  Kraemer  and 
Clement  B.  Lowe.  The  chemical  and  pharmaceutical  side 
of  botany  have  been  much  emphasized,  and  much  meri- 
torious work  has  been  done,  both  by  the  chemists  and 
botanists  of  the  institution.  The  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy  is  a  valuable  epitome  of  the  work  accomplished. 

The  late  Professors  Trimble  and  Bastin,  of  the  faculty, 
were  actively  engaged  in  botanical  research,  the  former  on 
the  tannins  of  plants,  the  latter  on  the  conifera)  and  the 
resins.  From  the  College  of  Pharmacy  many  students  have 
received  an  inspiration  for  botanical  study.  The  Herbarium 
of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  possesses  the  col- 
lections of  Elias  Durand,  Daniel  B.  Smith,  Prof.  John  ^I. 
Maisch,  and  that  of  Isaac  Martindale,  purchased  by  Messrs. 
Smith,  Kline,  French  and  Company  from  the  estate,  as  also 
numerous  contributions  from  botanical  friends  and  students. 
With  a  laboratory  equipped  for  botanical  and  microscopical 
study,  and  with  such  an  excellent  herbarium  for  comparison, 
the  College  is  enabled  to  give  an  extended  course  in  botany. 

The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia  was 
founded  March  21,  1812,  by  a  few  citizens  "interested  in 
the  study  of  the  w^orks  and  laws  of  the  Creator."  From  the 
outset,  the  Department  of  Botany  received  a  due  share  of 
attention,  and  the  first  contribution  to  the  Academy's  Her- 
barium *  consisted  of  a  collection  of   plants  made  in  the 


Torrey  Bulletin  VIII:  42,  J.  II.  Redfield. 


24  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

environs  of  Paris  and  presented  by  Nicholas  S.  Parmentier, 
and  still  in  excellent  preservation.  During  the  years  which 
followed,  this  little  nucleus  received  constant  accretions  from 
the  working  botanists  of  the  day,  and  the  names  of  Collins, 
Elliott,  Pursh,  Baldwin,  LeConte,  Conrad,  Xuttall,  Torrey 
and  Pickering  are  inscribed  on  many  of  the  early  tickets  of 
the  Herbarium. 

In  1834  the  Academy  received  the  bequest  of  the  col- 
lections made  by  Rev.  Lewis  David  von  Schweinitz  during 
a  period  of  forty  years.  Most  of  the  northern  species  were 
collected  by  himself,  but  many  came  from  Dr.  Torrey, 
Major  Le  Conte,  Rev.  Mr.  Dencke,  and  other  correspondents. 
The  European  species  were  contributed  by  Weldon,  Bentham, 
Brongniart,  Schwaegrichen,  Steudel  and  Zeyher.  The 
Siberian  plants  were  furnished  by  Ledebour,  and  those  of 
India  by  Wallich  and  Steinhauer.  Many  Chinese  species 
were  collected  by  Mr.  James  Read,  and  from  the  Arctic 
regions  were  plants  collected  by  the  navigator  Parry,  and 
received  through  Sir  William  Hooker;  while  from  South 
America  were  rich  collections  made  by  von  Martins,  Huffel, 
Hering  and  Baldwin.  Perhaps  the  most  valuable  portion 
of  the  bequest  consisted  of  the  extensive  series  of  the  lower 
cryptogams,  of  which  Yon  Schweinitz  had  made  a  special 
study. 

Other  valuable  contributions  followed  the  bequest  of 
Von  Schweinitz,  among  which  may  be  specified  the  Poiteau 
collection  of  St.  Domingo  plants;  Chilian  plants  from  Dr. 
Styles  and  Dr.  Ruschenberger ;  Nuttall's  collections  made 
in  his  expeditions  to  Arkansas,  Oregon  and  the  Sandwich 
Islands ;  Menke's  Herbarium  of  7000  species  of  European 
plants     derived    from     Thunberg,     Sprengel,     Bernhardi, 


thp:  botanists  of  Philadelphia.  25 

Treviranus,  Mertens,  etc. ;  the  Ashmead  collection  of  marine 
alg£e  ;  Lesqnereux's  collection  of  over  700  species  of  algce, 
authenticated   by  the   best   algologists  of  the   age,  and  a 
large    collection    of    cryptogams    from     Ravenel.        More 
recent    additions    are    the    herbaria   of  the   late   Thomas 
G.  Lea,  of  Cincinnati,   and    of    Dr.   Joseph    Carson,   late 
Professor  of  J^Iateria  Medica  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  a  large  collection  from  southern  Europe  and  from 
India,  made  by  the  late  John  Stuart  Mill,  received  from 
Miss  Taylor,  through  the  Director  of  the  Kew  gardens  and 
the  kindness  of  Dr.  Gray  ;  the  collections  of  the  late  Dr. 
Charles  Pickering,  made  in  his  journeys  through  oriental 
regions  in  1844  and  1845  ;  Syrian  and  Algerian  plants  from 
Dr.    George   Post,  of    Beirut;    Floridan    plants    from    Dr. 
Ga^rber;     Mexican     plants    collected     by    Parry,    Palmer, 
and  Pringle,  and  a  set  of  mosses  and  hepaticae  of  North 
America,  collected  and  named  by  the  late  Col.  F.  Austin. 

The  most  important  accession  to  the  Academy's  collec- 
tion was  the  Short  Herbarium  of  Dr.  Charles  W.  Sliort, 
of  Louisville,  Ky.  For  this  the  Academy  was  indel)ted 
to  the  strenuous  exertions  of  Dr.  Gray  in  its  behalf,  and 
to  the  liberality  of  Dr.  Short's  family.  The  plants  of  this 
collection  are  uncommonly  choice  specimens,  from  all 
active  collectors  up  tc  1863,  and  are  laid  in  sheets  of  extra 
size,  arranged  in  325  book-form  cases,  of  which  the  North 
American  species  occupy  261,  and  the  exotic  species  64. 

The  work  of  arranging  the  earlier  collections  of  the 
Academy  was  mainly  accomplished  by  Nuttall  and  Picker- 
ing, followed  later  by  Goddard,  Bridges,  Zantzinger,  Durand, 
Burk,  Scribner,  Kedfield,  Smith,  Brown  and  Meehan.  Until 
the  removal  to  the  new  building,  in  1876,  the  arrangement 


26  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

had  been  after^the  Linntean  system  in  large  cumbersome 
port-folios,  in  a  narrow,  dark  and  inconvenient  hall.  The 
removal  gave  opportunity  for  an  entirely  new  arrangement, 
more  in  accordance  with  the  progress  of  the  science,  on 
enclosed  shelves  after  the  most  approved  modern  methods, 
and  in  well-lighted  apartments  convenient  for  reference  and 
study. 

In  1854,  the  lamented  Elias  Durand  began  the  work  of 
forming  a  special  North  American  Herbarium  from  the 
stores  of  the  Academy,  contributing  largely  from  his  private 
collection,  of  species  collected  by  Lindheimer,  Fendler, 
Wright  and  others.  In  this  labor  he  was  occupied  four 
years.  Since  his  death  the  work  of  perfecting  this  depart- 
ment has  been  continued,  and  nearly  all  of  the  collections 
made  in  our  newer  territories  by  Parry,  Lemmon,  Palmer, 
Kellogg  Ward,  Rothrock,  Pringle  and  others  have  been  con- 
tributed at  various  times  by  Gray,  Canby,  Parker,  Meehan, 
Rothrock,  Martindale  and  Redfield.  This  collection  and  the 
"  Short  Herbarium "  occupy  the  upper  of  the  two  rooms 
devoted  to  botan}^  in  the  south-west  corner  of  the  building, 
while  the  lower  room  contains  the  general  herbarium,  and 
a  large  case  devoted  to  the  reception  of  fruits,  seed  vessels 
and  other  vegetable  productions. 

One  of  the  most  recent  additions  to  the  Academy's  Her- 
barium is  the  loan  collection  of  the  Lewis  &  Clark  plants 
from  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  The  following 
is  an  interesting  account  of  this  recent  acquisiton : 

"  The  expedition  of  Captains  Merewether  Lewis  and 
AVilliam  Clark,  from  what  was  then  the  village  of  St.  Louis  to 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  and  across  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
was  one  of  the  marvels  in  the  early  history  of  the  American 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  27 

Republic*  Captain  Lewis  started  from  Washington  to  take 
charge  of  the  party  on  the  5th  of  July,  1 803.  They  crossed 
the  Continent,  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River, 
and  with  the  loss  of  but  one  man,  returned  and  arrived  at 
St.  Louis  on  the  23d  of  September,  1806. 

"  The  idea  of  exploration  originated  with  Jefferson.  In 
1792  he  tried  to  interest  the  American  Philosophical  Society 
in  the  plan.  It  was  approved,  and  it  was  decided  to  place 
the  expedition  in  charge  of  Andre  Michaux.  Reasons  of 
State  policy  arising  out  of  our  relation  with  Michaux 's 
country,  caused  its  abandonment.  Lewis  was  Jefferson's 
private  secretary,  and  under  him  the  expedition  finally 
started." 

The  plants  collected  on  the  expedition  were  described  by 
Pursh  in  his  "  Flora  Americse  Septrionalis,"  published  in 
London,  in  1814.  One  hundred  and  nineteen  (119)  plants 
are  referred  to,  many  of  which  he  described  as  wholly  new. 

Nothing  was  known  as  to  the  final  disposition  of  the 
collections.  It  was  lost  to  botanists.  "  It  was  understood 
that  Pursh  took  these  plants  to  England,  and  that  they  were 
left  by  him  to  Mr.  A.  B.  Lambert,  Vice-President  of  the 
LinnEean  Society,  under  whose  roof  and  by  whose  aid 
Pursh's  great  work  was  completed.  Lambert's  Herbarium 
was  finally  distributed,  and,  in  some  way  not  known  to  the 
writer,  a  number  of  Lewis's  plants,  forming  Pursh's  types, 
and  marked  '  from  Lambert's  Herbarium '  became  part  of 
the  herbarium  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia." 

"Two  years  ago  Professor  C.  S.  Sargent  suggested  to  the 
writer  the  possibility  of  some  of  the  material  being  yet  in 

*189S.     Meehan— Proc.  Acad.  Xat.  Sci.,  p.  12. 


28 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 


the  custody  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  After 
long  and  diligent  search,  packages  of  plants  were  found 
which  could  only  be  these,  as  the  localities  on  the  label 
slips  were  about  the  same  as  those  given  in  Pursh's  work." 
After  a  careful  scrutiny  of  the  labels,  handwriting  and  plant 
sheets  it  was  satisftictorily  determined  by  Mr.  Meehan  that 
the  plants  were  those  of  Lewis  and  Clark.  Pursh  had  evi- 
dently studied  these  collections  before  starting  to  Europe  with 
them,  leaving  duplicates,  where  there  were  any,  and  those 
which  were  too  imperfect  to  be  easily  recognized.  A  compari- 
son of  Lewis's  own  labels  and  Pursh's  copies  shows  that  the 
latter  were  not  always  strictly  copied — differences  can  be 
seen  in  the  comparisons  made  in  the  catalogue.  Pursh's 
notes  were  probably  made  from  Lewis's  original  memoranda 
carried  away  with  the  specimens,  and  are,  therefore,  the 
more  likely  to  be  the  exact  statements  of  the  collectors,  than 
the  copies  left  with  these.  The  plants  first  determined  by 
Mr.  Meehan  were  turned  over  to  the  Gray  Herbarium  where 
they  were  critically  studied  by  Messrs.  Robinson  and  Green- 
man. 

With  the  freedom  of  three-quarters  of  a  century  the 
museum  beetles  had  made  sad  work  in  the  bundles.  In  a 
few  cases  the  specimens  had  been  wholly  reduced  to  dust, 
and  only  fragments  were  left  in  other  cases.  Generally, 
however,  they  were  in  fair  condition.  The  Philosophical 
Society  wisely  accepted  a  proposition  to  deposit  these  and 
other  collections  with  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
where  they  would  be  properly  cared  for.  All  these  collec- 
tions, including  those  from  the  Kuram  Valley,  Afghanstan, 
made  by  Major  J.  E.  T.  Aitcheson ;  from  China,  Japan, 
Formosa,  Australia  and  Tasmania ;  from  the  Texo-Mexican 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  29 

region  ;  from  Australia,  made  by  Baron  F.  von  ]\Iueller ;  from 
the  United  States  Forestry  Commission  of  rare  North  Ameri- 
can trees ;  from  North  Africa,  made  by  Geo.  Curling  Joad ; 
from  the  North  Pacific  Survey,  by  William  Canby ;  from 
Alaska,  by  Thos.  Meehan ;  from  the  Yellowstone,  made  by 
F.  Tweedy ;  of  ^lexican  plants  distributed  by  C.  G.  Pringle, 
the  noted  collector,  and  the  veteran  botanist,  Dr.  Palmer ; 
from  Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  California,  made  by  A.  H. 
Smith ;  from  Chili,  Bolivia  and  Brazil,  distributed  by  H.  H. 
Rusby;  from  Tabasco  and  Chiapas,  in  Mexico,  by  Prof. 
Rovirosa;  from  South  America,  by  Thos.  Morong;  from 
the  West  Indies,  made  by  Professor  Leopold  Krug,  of  the 
Royal  Botanical  Museum,  Berlin;  from  Guatemala,  distri- 
buted by  John  Donnell  Smith  ;  from  Greenland,  made  by 
Wm.  E.  Meehan ;  from  Greece,  Macedonia,  Asia  Minor, 
Kurdistan  and  Mesopotamia,  by  Bornmiiller  and  Sintenis ; 
from  the  AVest  Indies,  distributed  by  Rothrock  ;  from  Cali- 
fornia, by  Brandegee,  are  valuable  scientifically,  because 
they  represent  type  specimens  of  the  new^  forms  discovered 
by  all  of  these  collectors  in  different  parts  of  the  world.  In 
addition  to  the  phanerogams  the  Academy's  herbarium  has 
been  enriched  in  recent  years  by  the  addition  of  many  note- 
worthy cryptogamic  collections,  among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned a  complete  set  of  Ellis's  "  Centuries  of  North  Ameri- 
can Fungi,"  Drummond's  "  Mosses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  British  America,"  a  set  of  fungi,  from  the  wife  of  the 
late  Dr.  Geo.  Martin,  of  West  Chester ;  the  lichen  herbarium 
of  Dr.  J.  W.  Eckfeldt,  the  celebrated  lichen ologist,  and 
other  collections  of  minor  interest  and  importance. 

With   these    large   collections   the   herbarium   of   the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  may  be  said  to  be  on  a  })ar 


30  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

with  those  of  Harvard.  University,  at  Cambridge,  Mass. ; 
Cohimbia  College,  in  New  York;  the  Missouri  Botanical 
Garden,  at  St.  Louis,  and  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  at  Washington. 

In  addition  to  the  herbarium,  the  Academy  is  especially 
fortunate  in  having  an  almost  complete  file  of  all  of  the 
leading  journals  of  science,  in  which  list  the  botanical 
journals  are  well  represented.  The  Academy,  therefore,  is 
well  ecjuipped  for  active  scientific  work,  but  is  hampered, 
like  so  many  other  institutions,  by  lack  of  funds.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  endeavor  which  is  now  being  made  to 
raise  an  endowment  to  pay  a  first-class  botanist,  and  to 
maintain  the  herbarium  in  good  condition,  will  meet  with 
success.  The  fund,  to  be  known  as  the  Redfield  Memorial 
Herbarium  Fund,  is  soreh^  needed,  as  the  committee,  consist- 
ing of  Thomas  Meehan,  George  M.  Beringer,  and  Stewardson 
Brown,  testify  in  their  appeal  to  the  admirers  of  the  scientist 
who  did  so  much  for  the  herbarium. 

It  is  estimated  that  at  least  $30,000  should  be  raised 
to  insure  the  necessary  income,  and  the  bequest  *  of  Mr. 
Eedfield  will  serve  as  a  nucleus.  It  is  proposed  to  utilize 
the  interest  to  pay  a  conservator  or  professor,  who  shall 
devote  his  time  to  the  needs  of  the  herbarium,  and  make 
the  collections  available  at  all  times.  Any  income  in 
excess  of  the  sum  needed  for  salary  will  be  judiciously 
applied  to  shares  in  exploring  expeditions,  or  other  means 
of  adding  to  the  collections. 

The  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  organized  by  Dr. 
J.  Bernard  Brinton,  who  held  the  presidency  until  his  death, 
has  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  social  intercourse  between 

*  See  Science  X.  S.  1 :  470;  also  Philadelphia  Ledger,  April  2,  1895. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  31 

botanists  who  live  witliin  a  radius  of  sixty  miles  of  tlie 
City  of  Philadelphia,  the  formation  of  a  herbarium  in 
which  all  of  the  plants  of  the  region,  carefully  mounted, 
labeled  and  annotated,  are  represented,  and  the  advance- 
ment of  botany  generally.  Field  trips  during  the  spring, 
summer,  and  autumn  months  are  taken  to  various  points 
of  botanical  interest,  and  reports  are  made  at  each  succeed- 
ing meeting  of  the  plants  collected.  Its  membership  repre- 
sents the  active  botanists  of  the  region  at  the  present  day. 
It  has  done  much  to  advance  the  systematic  knowledge 
of  the  plants  of  the  district.  Under  the  auspices,  and  with 
the  co-operation  of  this  organization.  Dr.  Ida  Keller  has 
undertaken  the  preparation  of  a  list  of  the  plants  found 
within  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia,  as  represented 
in  a  radius  of  60  miles  or  less.  This  work  will  be  of  great 
use  to  students  of  the  local  flora,  and  is  to  be  hio-hlv 
commended. 

The  study  of  the  lower  forms  of  plant-life  has  been 
almost  entirely  neglected  by  the  greater  number  of  botanists 
mentioned  in  this  work.  In  order  to  create  an  interest  in  the 
fungi,  especially  the  higher  fleshy  fungi,  two  societies  have 
been  inaugurated  during  1897  and  1898.  One  called  the 
Philadelphia  Mycological  Center,  modeled  after  the  Boston 
organization,  meets  statedly  at  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences.  Topics  of  general  interest  to  the  members  are 
discussed,  and  specimens,  chiefly  of  the  edible  kinds  of  toad- 
stools, are  presented  for  inspection. 

The  other  organization  is  known  as  the  Mycological 
Club.  Its  objects  are  essentially  similar  to  those  of  the 
first-mentioned  society.  A  bulletin  is  published  under  the 
auspices  of  this  club,  and  excursions  are  taken  into  the  sur- 


6'1  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

rounding  country  for  specimens.  Those  interested  especially 
in  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  this  club  are  the 
following  ladies  and  gentlemen :  Captain  Charles  Mcllvaine> 
Mrs.  S.  T.  Rorer,  Dr.  Henry  Leffman,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Talcott 
Williams,  and  Theodore  Rand,  C.  S.  Ridgway,  Dr.  S.  C. 
Schmucker,  and  Mrs.  Theodore  Ely. 

The  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association,  organized  in 
1886,  has  done  a  great  service  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
in  interesting  its  people  in  trees  and  in  forest  preservation. 
As  an  outcome  of  this  agitation  under  the  leadership  of  the 
Forest  Commissioner,  Dr.  J.  T.  Rothrock,  and  by  the  official 
organ  of  the  Society,  "  Forest  Leaves,"  three  tracts  of  mountain 
land  have  been  designated  as  forest  reservations. 

The  Delaware  County  Institute  of  Science  at  Media, 
Penna.,  founded  in  1833,  has  for  its  object  the  diffusion 
of  general  and  scientific  knowledge  among  its  members  and 
in  the  community  at  large,  and  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  a  library  and  historical  record  and  a  museum. 
The  library  of  the  Institute  contains  about  four  thousand 
volumes,  covering  generally  the  subjects  of  science,  history 
and  literature.  The  museum  contains  a  large  collection 
of  specimens,  illustrating  the  fauna,  flora  and  the  minerals 
of  Delaware  County.  The  local  botanical  and  mineralogi- 
cal  collections  are  quite  complete,  well  arranged,  and 
accessible  to  students  of  these  subjects.  The  Indian 
archeology  of  the  county  is  well  represented.  The  Institute 
is  divided  into  several  sections,  as  follows:  biological, 
anthropological,  physical  and  literary  sections. 

The  Wagner  Free  Institute  of  Science,  at  17th  and 
Montgomery  Avenue,  Philadelphia,  was  founded  by  William 
Wagner  to  advance  the  cause  of  science  by  popular  lectures 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  33 

and  demonstrations.  In  the  past  many  lectures  on  botany 
have  been  given  to  interested  audiences,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Institute,  which  also  possesses  a  fine  scientific  and 
general  library. 

Fairmount  Park  and  its  Horticultural  Building  also  are 
places  where  the  botanists  of  Philadelphia  have  received  their 
inspiration.  This  building,  in  Moorish  style,  was  built  for 
the  Centennial  Exposition  of  1876,  and  in  it  was  placed  a 
large  and  valuable  collection  of  palms,  orchids,  tree  ferns, 
ferns  and  other  tropical  and  exotic  plants.  It  has  been  altered 
considerably  since  it  was  built  to  give  more  light  to  the 
rapidly-growing  araucarias,  palms  and  bamboos.  A  visitor 
luxuriates  in  the  vegetation  of  the  fernery,  the  forcing-house, 
the  temperate-house  and  the  main  hall,  in  which  grow  some 
magnificent  specimens  of  Australian  palm  {Ptychosperma 
elegans)  tree  ferns,  bamboos,  traveler's  tree,  date  palms, 
rubber  trees,  fan  palms,  climbing  aroids,  wax  palms,  and 
other  tropical  plants.  Upon  entering  the  door,  one  imagines 
himself  in  a  tropical  forest. 

The  Commercial  and  Economic  Museum,  *  which  is 
owned  and  operated  by  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  is  com- 
posed of  the  combined  exhibits  of  many  countries,  both  of 
raw  material  and  the  vegetable  and  animal  products  of  the 
countries  represented.  This  museum  was  established  soon 
after  the  close  of  the  Columbian  Exposition. 

Professor  Thomas  Meehan  and  Professor  W.  P.  Wilson, 
made  the  proposition  to  procure  these  great  collections 
to  one  or  two  public-spirited  gentlemen  on  September  7, 
1893,  and  on  September  12th  of  that  year  a  resolution  was 


*  The  Mirror,  Philadelphia,  Wednesday,  May  8,  1895,  with  portraits  of  those 
prominently  connected  with  the  Philadelphia  Museums. 


34  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

passed  by  the  Select  and  Common  Councils  of  the  City  of 
Philadelphia  authorizing  the  Park  Commission  to  make  col- 
lections for  an  Economic  Museum.  Later,  arrangements 
were  made  by  Professor  Wilson  and  one  member  of  the 
Park  Commissioners  with  the  ^layor,  by  which  letters  were 
addressed  to  the  foreign  representatives  at  the  Columbian 
Exposition,  stating  the  wish  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia  to 
obtain  the  exhibits  of  natural  products  at  the  Fair  for  the 
proposed  Museum,  where  they  might  be  preserved  intact 
and  so  remain  as  a  lasting  proof  of  the  advancement  of  the 
countries  they  represent. 

On  October   19,   1893,   Councils  passed   an  ordinance 

making  an  appropriation  of  $10,000  to  the  Commissioners  of 

Fairmount  Park  "  to  defray  the  expenses  of  procurement, 

transportation,  packing,   storing    and  display  of  raw  and 

manufactured  economic   products   now   of  the  Columbian 

Exposition  at  Chicago."      The  sum  of  $3000  was  advanced 

by   three  prominent  citizens  until   such  time  as   Councils 

should  make  the  appropriation.     This  unexpected  generosity 

saved  the  enterprise  from  what  might  have  been  a  failure, 

since  by  that  time  other  cities  and  institutions,  realizing  the 

benefit  to  their  industries  to  be  gained  by  such  a  museum, 

were  making  attempts  to   obtain  the  collections  partially 

promised  to  Pennsylvania.     The  appropriation  was  finally 

made  by  Councils,  and  the  money  was  judiciously  expended, 

$20,000  provided  for  the  project  in  1894.      Professor  Wilson 

succeeded  in  securing  displays  of  various  materials  from 

Mexico,   from   Costa   Pdca,  from   Guatemala,  from   British 

Guiana,  from  Ecuador,  from  Colombia,  from  the  Argentine 

Pvepublic,  Brazil,  Venezuela,  Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Labrador, 

Sweden,  Germany,  Pvussia,  Johore,  Japan,  Siam,  New  South 


?0 
:^ 

::; 
o 
a 

o 

w 

o 
a 

n 
W 


"vli 


mi  «^ 


§^ll«^ 


o 
1^ 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  35 

Wales,  Turkey,  British  India,  Persia,  Spain,  Puerto  Pico  and 
Ceylon. 

The  objects  of  the  museum  are  clearly  set  forth  by  its 
promoters  as  being :  First,  to  bring  before  American  manu- 
facturers all  the  varied  products  of  the  world,  that  they  may 
make  the  best  selection  of  material  for  their  own  especial 
interests.  Second,  to  publish  all  possible  scientific  and  useful 
information  concerning  these  products  which  may  aid  the 
manufacturer  and  consumer  in  his  choice.  Third,  to  place 
on  exhibition  manufactured  articles  and  samples,  with  full 
information  from  all  markets  which  ought  to  be  entered  or 
controlled,  and  to  furnish  to  merchants  and  manufacturers 
useful  information  concerning  opj^ortunities  in  foreign  lands. 

The  exhibits  consist  in  the  main  of  raw  materials,  show- 
ing the  vegetable  and  animal  products  of  the  several 
countries,  as  for  instance  the  handsome  forestry  exhibit 
from  Mexico,  composed  of  a  great  number  of  prepared 
woods,  many  of  them  polished  and  varnished  on  one  side, 
showing  the  grain  and  any  particularly  striking  features  of 
the  wood.  There  are  also  minor  forest  products,  such  as 
fibres,  gums,  resins,  tannins  and  medicinal  plants.  In  many 
cases  the  collections  represent  big  sums  of  money,  the 
exhibition  from  the  Argentine  Republic,  alone,  having  cost 
that  government  over  $25,000.  One  of  the  three  collections 
presented  from  Japan  cost  |lo,000  to  prepare.  The  collec- 
tions from  many  of  the  countries  are  of  especial  interest  to 
botanists,  in  that  they  comprise  largely  a  display  of  the 
vegetal  productions  of  those  lands. 

The  Museum,  being  in  need  of  a  building  sufficiently 
large  to  accommodate  the  vast  quantity  of  material  in  its 
possession,  there  were  assigned  nineteen  rooms  in  City  Hall, 


36  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

all  of  them  except  three  being  in  the  basement.  Many- 
cases  were  stored  in  the  warehouses  of  several  firms  in 
Philadelphia,  awaiting  a  time  when  they  might  be  opened. 

The  exhibits  continued  in  the  City  Building  until  Sep- 
tember, 1895,  when  they  were  taken  to  South  Fourth  Street, 
a  lease  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company's  Buildings, 
which  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  the  museum, 
having  been  made  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany at  advantageous  terms  in  August  of  that  year.  The 
buildings  now  occupied  have  been  leased  for  five  years, 
and  the  exhibits  will  remain  in  them  until  the  buildings 
are  completed  in  West  Philadelphia.  These  railroad  build- 
ings are  three  in  number.  The  principal  one  is  the  granite 
building,  fronting  on  Fourth  Street  at  the  corner  of  Willing's 
Alley.  Adjoining  it  also  on  Fourth  Street  is  the  Empire 
Building,  three  stories  in  height.  Connected  with  the 
granite  building  is  the  rear  of  the  annex,  an  enormous 
structure  six  stories  high.  Altogether,  the  museum  occupies 
128  rooms  with  a  floor  space  of  200,000  square  feet. 

Part  of  the  granite  building  is  devoted  to  the  display  of 
exhibits  according  to  j^roducts,  without  regard  to  the  geogra- 
phical location  of  the  countries  producing  them.  Here 
are  shown  samples  from  every  civilized  section  of  the  world, 
embracing  everything  of  foreign  growth  used  or  deemed 
capable  of  being  used  by  American  manufacturers,  or  which 
enter  into  or  are  likely  to  enter  into  American  commerce. 
The  exhibits  include  thousands  of  samples  of  woods,  wools, 
silks,  cottons,  vegetable  fibres,  hides,  skins,  dye-stufls,  tanning 
materials,  drugs,  herbs,  minerals,  coff'ees,  spices,  teas,  rubber, 
etc.'^ 


*  Fhiladelpkia  Inquirer,  Monday,  March  2, 1896. 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  37 

Another  section  of  the  Empire  Building  is  given  over 
to  the  American  forestry  exhibit,  2)articular  attention  being 
given  to  the  Southern  states,  which  are  just  now  being 
looked  to  in  a  commercial  sense  as  they  have  never  been 
before.  A  large  part  of  this  display  was  secured  at  the 
Atlanta  Exposition,  and  includes  the  collection  of  sugar 
cane  from  Louisiana,  and  the  interesting  turpentine  exhibit, 
showing  realistically  the  method  of  collecting  this  valuable 
product  of  the  turpentine  forests. 

The  exhibits  are  tastefully  and  convenienth^  arranged 
according  to  countries,  beginning  with  Mexico  and  following 
with  the  Central  and  South  American  countries,  in  their 
order.  After  these  come  the  countries  of  Europe,  Asia  and 
Africa. 

Especial  prominence  is  given  to  Mexico  and  the  Span- 
ish-American countries  because  of  their  growing  importance 
to  the  mercantile  and  manufacturing  interests  of  this  coun- 
try. This  prominence,  however,  is  not  at  the  expense  of  the 
exhibits  from  other  countries,  for  the  collections  from  all  of 
them  will  be  extensively  and  conveniently  displayed.  The 
exhibit  from  Mexico  can  be  taken  as  an  illustration  of  the 
completeness  of  the  different  collections.  It  occupies  no 
less  than  nine  large  rooms,  and  embraces  every  possible 
article  of  commercial  value  that  country  produces.  In  the 
exhibit  are  collections  of  woods  from  no  less  than  fifteen 
different  states  in  the  Mexican  Republic,  which  liave  already 
been  or  will  be  in  the  near  future  brouo-ht  into  use  bv  the 
manufacturers  of  this  country. 

Another  department,  which  illustrates  the  great  scope 
of  the  museum  and  the  thoroughness  contemplated  in  its 
general  plan,  is  the  testing  department.     Here,  with  suitable 


38  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

machinery  and  under  the  supervision  of  experts,  Avill  be 
made  tests,  for  instance,  of  samples  of  foreign  woods  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  their  availability  for  certain  uses. 
The  scientific  laboratories  of  botany  and  zoology  and 
those  of  technology  in  connection  with  the  museums  are 
doing  excellent  work  in  the  study  of  economic  samples. 

A  department,  fully  as  invaluable  to  the  American 
manufacturer  as  any  of  the  others,  is  that  in  which  are 
displayed  samples  of  foreign  manufacturers.  This  display 
consists  of  a  complete  collection  of  manufactured  articles 
which  certain  countries,  notably  those  of  Spanish  America, 
Australia,  South  Africa,  etc.,  do  not  produce  themselves  and 
which  they  must  necessarily  purchase  elsewhere.  An 
inspection  of  this  department  will  show  an  American 
manufacturer  just  what  these  countries  buy  and  where 
they  buy. 

A  Bureau  of  Information  is  maintained  whose  object  is 
to  make  a  special  study  of  foreign  commerce,  compile  all 
data  relative  thereto,  and  make  it  available  to  the  manu- 
facturer or  consumer  in  as  concise  and  definite  a  form  as 
possible.  The  bureau  is  located  on  the  third  floor,  and  a 
force  of  men  and  women  is  actively  engaged  in  compiling 
the  data,  arranging  indexes  and  getting  things  in  shape.* 

A  libraryt  is  maintained  in  connection  with  the  Bureau 
of  Information,  where  business  directories,  trade  and  com- 
mercial publications,  books  of  reference,  etc.,  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  are  kept  constantly  on  file.  The  library 
is  receiving  between  400  and  500  of  the  best  trade  publi- 
cations from  England,  France,  Germany  and  the  United 
States,   over   fifty   of    them  coming    from   London   alone. 


*  See  Ledger,  February  19, 1896. 

t  Fhiladelphia  Inquirer,  March  2,  1896. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIlLADICLrillA.  39 

In  addition  to  these  are  the  official  organs  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  Germany,  Russia,  Italy,  Australia,  Japan,  Mexico 
and  the  South  American  countries. 

There  is  also  kept  a  complete  file  of  statistical  docu- 
ments issued  by  different  countries  in  relation  to  trade  and 
commerce.  The  information  and  data  contained  in  all  of 
these  publications  is  compiled  and  indexed  for  ready  refer- 
ence under  the  most  approved  library  methods,  so  that  the 
merchant  or  manuf^icturer  may  easily  and  quickly  find  tliat 
which  refers  to  the  particular  line  of  industry  in  which  lie 
is  interested. 

The  authorities  expect,  in  the  near  future,  to  move  the 
collections  to  West  Philadelphia,  near  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  On  .June  27,  1895,  City  Councils  passed  an 
ordinance  giving  over  to  the  Trustees  eight  acres  of  land 
along  the  Schuylkill.  By  an  ordinance  approved  October 
10,  189(3,  eight  acres  more  were  added  to  this,  making  six- 
teen acres.  Recently  $200,000  has  been  appropriated  out  of 
the  "loan  bill"  to  commence  work  on  the  buildings; 
150,000  was  granted  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania ;  $100,- 
000  has  been  raised  by  private  subscription;  and  in 
December,  1898,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  passed  a 
bill,  which  was  signed  by  the  President,  authorizing  the 
expenditure  of  $350,000  in  the  erection  of  exhibition  and 
museum  buildings  for  the  Philadelphia  Commercial 
Museums,  so  that  the  museums  have  become  a  national  as 
well  as  a  state  and  municipal  enterprise.* 

A  casual  reader  will  see,  after  perusing  this  sketch  of 

*  Since  writing  the  above,  exposition  buildings  have  been  started  and  are 
well  under  way.  An  Exposition  and  Commercial  Congress,  it  is  planned,  will  be  held 
in  Philadelphia,  beginning  with  the  middle  of  September,  1S[}[).  It  is  planned  that 
two  of  the  exposition  buildings,  under  course  of  erection,  will  become  a  permanent 
part  of  the  Commercial  Museums. 


40  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

the  facilities  which  are  presented  at  Philadelphia,  that  the 
city  is  peculiarly  fitted  to  be  the  botanical  centre  of 
America.  Situated  between  New  York,  the  metropolis  of 
America,  and  the  Capitol  of  the  United  States,  it  is  within 
easy  reach  of  the  metropolitan  life  and  publishing  houses  of 
the  former  city,  and  the  libraries  and  scientific  departments 
of  the  latter  city,  in  the  Smithsonian  Institute  and  National 
Museum,  and  in  the  National  Congressional  Library.  The 
libraries  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society,  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  the  Pennsylvania  Histori- 
cal Society,  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Franklin 
Institute,  the  Free  Library  Company,  and  the  Philadelphia 
Library  Company  present  unusual  opportunities  for  research 
and  study.  In  addition  to  the  facilities  for  study  and 
research  already  mentioned,  the  city  has  Fairmount  and 
Bartram's  Parks,  and  the  seed  houses  of  national  reputation 
of  Landreth,  Dreer,  Buist,  Blanc  and  Burpee,  whose  experi- 
ment farms  lie  within  close  proximity  to  the  urban  limits. 
Philadelphia  has  never  very  severe  winters,  being  protected 
by  the  range  of  hills  to  the  west  and  north-west.  Lying  in 
close  proximity  to  New  Jersey,  whose  peculiar  flora  is  rich 
in  species,  and  to  the  drainage  areas  of  the  Susquehanna, 
Delaware  and  Schuylkill  Rivers,  it  is  favorably  situated 
for  botanical  research.  Why  not  make  Philadelphia  the 
Botanical  Centre  of  America  ? 


Biographies  of  Botanists. 

JAMES    LOGAN. 

James  Logan,*  one  of  the  fathers  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  greatly  distinguished  for  his  learning  and  worth, 
was  born  at  Lurgan,  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  October  20, 
1674.  He  came  to  America  in  company  with  William 
Penn,  in  1699.  In  1701  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the 
Province  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Clerk  of  the  Council.  He 
w^as  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania 
from  1731-39,  and,  as  President  of  the  Council,  was  for  two 
years  acting  Governor  of  the  Colony,  after  the  death  of 
Governor  Gordon  in  1736.  Several  years  previous  to  his 
death  he  retired  from  public  affairs,  and  spent  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  among  his  books,  and  in  corresponding  witli 
learned  men  in  different  parts  of  Europe.  He  died  near 
Germantown,  October  31,  1751,  bequeathing  his  lil^rary  of 
2000  volumes  to  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  which  now  forms 
part  of  the  Philadelphia  Library  under  the  name,  Loganian 
Library.  In  1735  he  published  his  experiments  upon 
maize  in  support  of  Linnaean  doctrine  of  sex  in  plants.  The 
results  of  the  experiments  were  given  in  Ijrief  in  the  letter 
to  Peter  CoUinson,  published  in  the  Philosophical  Ti^ansac- 
tions  (34 :  192-195),  and  later  a  full  account  was  published 
in  Latin,  in  a  w^ork  entitled,  "  Experimenta  et  Meletemata 
de  Plantarum  Generatione,  etc.,  auctore  Jacobo  Logan, 
Judice  Supremo  and  Prasside  Concilii  ProvincLr  Pensilvaniensis 
in  America,  Lugduni  Batavorum,  Apud  Cornelium   Haak, 


*  1849.    'DAnLiiiOTOy:—Memo7-ials  of  Bariram  and  Marshall,  p.  307. 


42  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

1739,"  pp.  3-13  (preface  dated  Philadelphia,  1737).*  In 
1744  he  published  also  a  translation  of  Cicero's  treatise,  "  De 
Senectute,"  at  Philadelphia. 

The  country  home  of  James  Logan  was  at  Stenton, 
Germantown,  adorned  with  many  fine  trees  and  rare  shrubs 
and  plants. t  Here  was  spent  the  quiet  days  of  an  extremely 
eventful  and  busy  life. 

CHRISTOPHER    WITT. 

Dr.  Christopher  Witt,J  or  DeWitt,  as  he  is  occasionally 
named,  was  born  in  AViltshire,  England,  in  the  year  1675, 
he  emigrated  to  America  in  the  year  1704,  and  joined  the 
theosophical  colonists  on  the  Wissahickon.  He  was  then  in 
his  twenty-ninth  year,  and  in  addition  to  being  a  thorough 
naturalist  and  a  skilled  physician,  was  well  versed  in  the 
mystic  sciences  and  in  astronomy.  He  was  esteemed  highly 
by  his  fellow-mystics,  his  services  as  a  physician  were 
constantly  called  into  requisition.  Shortly  after  the  death 
of  Kelpius,  Doctor  Witt,  together  with  Daniel  Geissler, 
removed  to  a  small  house  in  Germantown,  upon  the  land 
owned  by  Christian  Warmer,  who,  with  his  family,  looked 
after  the  welfare  of  their  tenants.  In  1718  Dr.  Witt  pur- 
chased ground  aggregating  in  all  125  acres.  After  the 
death  of  Geissler,  Dr.  W^itt  moved,  according  to  tradition,  to 
the  large  mansion  house  still  standing  at  the  south-east 
corner  of  Main  and  High  Streets. 

*  See  an  article  of  mine,  "  James  Logan,"  Botanical  Gazette,  August,  1894,  p.  307. 
There  are  two  oil  paintings  of  Logan  extant,  one  at  the  Pennsylvania  Historical 
Society  and  one  in  Independence  Hall. 

1 1877,  SCHARFF  AND  Westcott— T/ie  Historic  Mansions  and  Buildiyigs  of  Phila- 
delphia, p.  155.  There  is  an  oil  painting  of  Stenton  at  the  Pennsylvania  Historical 
Society,  and  a  pen  and  ink  sketch  by  Mumford  at  the  Philadelphia  Library. 

X  1895.  Sachse— r/ie  German  Pietists  of  Provincial  Pennsylvania,  p.  402. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  43 

Dr.  Witt  was  a  good  botanist,  and  upon  removing  to 
Germantown,  he  started  a  large  garden  for. his  own  profit 
and  amusement.  It  is  probably  the  first  botanical  garden 
in  America,  antedating  Bartram's  celebrated  garden  l)y 
twenty  years.  There  seems  to  have  been  a  much  earlier 
garden  located  on  the  lower  Wissahickon,  at  the  Monastery. 
In  George  Webb's  poem,  Bachelor's  Hall,  published  in 
1729,  he  speaks  of  a  place  of  retreat  situated  near  Phila- 
delphia, *  which  was  called  "  Bachelor's  Hall,  and  was 
the  headquarters  of  a  social  company.  In  addition  to  its 
uses  for  such  purposes  there  was  attached  to  the  building  a 
botanic  garden,  cultivated  for  the  production  of  plants  use- 
ful in  medicine.     Speaking  of  this  building  the  poet  says : 

"Close  to  the  dome  a  garden  shall  be  join'd — 
A  fit  employment  for  a  studious  mind. 
In  our  vast  woods  whatever  simples  grow, 
Whose  virtues  none  but  the  Indians  know, 
Within  the  confines  of  this  garden  brought, 
To  rise  with  added  lustre  shall  be  taught ; 
Then  culled  with  judgment  each  shall  yield  its  juice, 
Saliferous  balsam  to  the  sick  man's  use  ; 
A  longer  date  of  life  mankind  shall  boast, 
And  death  shall  mourn  her  ancient  empire  lost." 

It  is  known  that  the  members  of  this  social  fraternity 
interested  themselves  sufficiently  in  science  to  append  sucli 
a  garden  to  their  place  of  good-fellowship,  ft>r  medical 
purposes.  It  is  not  known  who  superintended  the  garden, 
which  must  have  been  under  the  charge  of  a  person  of 
more   than    ordinary   taste.      Dr.  Witt    corresponded    for 


*  See  introduction,  p.  5.  This  poem  varies  in  ditferent  books.  The  dome, 
referred  to  in  the  poem,  is  probably  the  observatory  erected  by  the  Rosicrucian 
fraternity  near  their  garden  founded  in  1694.  1895.  Sachsk— r/ie  German  Pietists 
of  Provincial  Pennsylvania,  p.  71. 


44  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

many  years  with  Peter  Collinson,  of  London,  whose  letters 
to  some  of  the  leading  men  in  the  Province  mention 
the  high  esteem  and  regard  in  which  Dr.  Witt  was  held 
by  the  English  naturalist.  In  later  years,  there  was  a 
friendly  intercourse  between  Dr.  Witt  and  John  Bartram. 
The  following  letter  from  the  latter  to  Peter  Collinson  gives 
an  interesting  picture  of  the  j^rivate  life  of  the  learned 
theosophist  : 

"June  11th,  1743. 
"  Friend  Peter  : 

"I  have  lately  been  to  visit  our  friend  Doctor  Witt, 
where  I  spent  four  or  five  hours  very  agreeably — sometimes 
in  his  garden,  where  I  viewed  every  kind  of  plant,  I  believe, 
that  grew  therein,  which  afforded  me  a  convenient  oppor- 
tunity of  asking  him  whether  he  ever  observed  any  kind  of 
wild  roses,  in  this  country,  that  was  double.  He  said  he 
could  not  remember  that  he  ever  did.  So  being  satisfied 
with  this  amusement,  we  went  into  his  study,  which  was 
furnished  with  books  containing  different  kinds  of  learning, 
as  philosophy,  natural  magic,  divinity,  nay,  even  mystic 
divinity ;  all  of  which  were  the  subjects  of  our  discourse 
within  doors,  which  alternately  gave  way  to  botany,  every 
time  we  walked  in  the  garden.  I  could  have  wished  thee 
the  enjoyment  of  so  much  diversion,  as  to  have  heard  our 
discourse,  provided  thee  had  been  well  swathed  from  hips 
to  arm-pits.  But  it  happened  a  little  of  our  spiritual  dis- 
course was  interrupted  by  a  material  object  Avithin  doors ; 
for  the  Doctor  had  lately  purchased  of  a  great  traveler  in 
Spain  and  Italy,  a  sample  of  what  was  imposed  upon  him 
for  snake  stones,  which  took  me  up  a  little  time,  beside 
laughing  at  him,  to  convince  the  Doctor  that  they  were 
nothing  but  calcined  old  horse  bones. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  45 

"  Indeed,  to  give  the  Doctor  his  due,  he  is  very  pleasant, 
facetious  and  plaint,  and  will  exchange  as  many  freedoms 
as  most  men  of  his  years,  with  those  he  respects  His 
understanding  and  judgment  thee  art  not  unacquainted 
with  having  had  so  long  and  frequent  intercourse  with 
him  by  letters. 

"When  we  are  upon  the  topic  of  astrology,  magic  and 
mystic  divinity,  I  am  apt  to  be  a  little  troublesome  by 
mquiring  into  the  foundation  and  reasonableness  of  these 
notions,  which,  thee  knows,  will  not  bear  to  be  searched  and 
examined  into;  though  I  handle  these  fancies  with 
more  tenderness  with  him  than  I  should  with  manv  others 
that  are  so  superstitiously  inclined,  because  I  respect  the 
man.     He  hath  a  considerable  share  of  good  in  him. 

"The  Doctor's  famous  Lychnis,  which  thee  has  digni- 
fied so  highly,  is,  I  think,  unworthy  of  that  character     Sur 
swamps  and  low  grounds  are  full  of  them.     I  had  so  con 
temptible  an  opinion  of  it  as  not  to  think  it  worth  sending 
nor  afford  it  room  in  my  garden;   but  I  suppose,  by  thy 
account,  your   climate   agreeth   so   well,  that   it  is   much 
improved.     The   other,   which   I    brought   from   Virginia 
grows  with   me  about  five  feet  high,   bearing  spikes  of 
different  colored  flowers,  for  three  or  four  months  in  the 
year,  exceeding  beautiful.     I  have  another  wild  one  finely 
speckled,  and  striped  with  red  upon  a  white  ground 'and  \ 
red  eye  in  the  middle,  the  only  one  I  ever  saw. 

"  Our  worthy  friend  Golden  wrote  to  me  he  had  received 
a  new  edition  of  Linnteus's  Characteres  Plantarum,  lately 
printed.  He  advised  me  to  desire  Gronovius  to  send  it  to 
me.  The  first  I  saw  was  at  the  Doctor's,  and  chiefly  by  it 
he  hath  attained  the  greatest  knowledge  in  botany  ^f  ^ny 
I  have  discoursed  with.  jo„.^-  Bartkam  " 


46  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  AVitt,  besides  being  an  excellent  botanist,  was  an 
ingenious  mechanic,  constructing  the  first  clocks  made  in 
Pennsylvania,  if  not  in  America.  He  was  an  artist  and 
musician.  He  possessed  a  large  pipe  organ,  said  to  have 
been  made  by  his  own  hands.  The  scholarly  Doctor  also 
practiced  horoscopy  and  Avould  cast  nativities,  using  the 
hazel  rod  in  his  divination. 

When  the  Doctor  was  eighty  years  old  his  eyesight 
failed  him,  resulting  finally  in  blindness.  His  slave,  Robert, 
carefully  looked  after  his  wants  until  his  death  in  the  latter 
part  of  January,  1765,  aged  ninety  years.  Thus  died  Doctor 
Christopher  AVitt,  the  last  of  the  Rosicrucian  Mystics  of 
Germantown. 

He  was  buried  in  the  Warmer  burial-ground,  in 
Germantown.  This  spot  became  known  as  Spook  Hill.* 
Tales  were  told  which  have  survived  to  the  present  time, 
how,  upon  the  night  following  the  burial  of  the  old  mystic, 
spectral  flames  were  seen  dancing  around  his  grave. 

JOHN    BARTRAM. 

John  Bartram,  founder  of  the  celebrated  Botanical 
Garden,  Was  born  near  the  village  of  Darby,  in  Delaware 
(then  Chester)  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  23rd  day  of 
March,  1699. 

His  great  grandfather,  Richard  Bartram,  lived  and  died 
in  Derbyshire,  England.  Richard  had  one  son,  named 
John,  who  married  in  Derby  (England),  and,  with  his  wife, 
was  settled  for  some  years  in  the  town  of  Ashborn,  where 
they  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 


*  It  is  located  on  the  high  ground  within  the  square  bounded  by  High  and 
Haines  Streets,  and  Morton  and  Hancock  Streets,  and  is  reached  either  by  the  old  lane 
leading  from  Haines  Street  into  Mechanic  Street,  now  Colwell  Street,  or  by  the  path 
between  St.  Michael's  Church  and  the  parsonage. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  47 

With  this  family,  John  (following  the  fortunes  of 
William  Penn)  removed  to  Pennsylvania  in  1082 — the 
year  in  which  the  city  of  Philadelphia  was  founded — and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Delaware  County,  near  Darhy.  He 
died  on  the  first  of  September,  1697. 

The  names  of  the  three  sons  who  accompanied  him  to 
the  western  world,  were  John,  Isaac  and  William.  John 
and  Isaac  died  unmarried,  the  former  on  the  14th  of  June, 
1692,  and  the  latter  on  the  10th  of  January,  170S.  William 
Bartram,  the  third  son,  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  James  Hunt,  at  Darby  Meeting,  on  the  27th  of  March, 
1696.  The  time  of  his  death  has  not  been  ascertained.  He 
had  three  sons,  and  a  daughter  who  died  young.  The 
names  of  the  sons  w^ere  John  (the  Botanist),  James  and 
William.  Of  these,  William  went  to  North  Carolina,  and 
settled  near  Cape  Fear ;  James,  who  remained  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, left  no  male  descendants.* 

John  Bartram,  eldest  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
Bartram,  and  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  inherited  a  farm 
near  Darby,  which  was  left  to  him  by  his  Uncle  Isaac. 

One  day  in  spring,  about  the  year  1725,  John  Bartram, 
after  ploughing  awhile  in  one  of  his  fields,  paused  under 
the  shade  of  a  tree  to  rest.  While  sitting  upon  the  grass 
near  his  panting  beasts,  he  cast  his  eyes  upon  a  daisy, 
which  he  plucked  mechanically,  and  began  to  look  at  it 
with  a  certain  languid  curiosity.  The  more  he  looked,  the 
more  interested  he  became;  observing  the  various  parts, 
some  perpendicular,  some  horizontal,  some  white,  some 
yellow  ;  and  he  fell  to  wondering  what  could  be  the  jnirposes 


*  The  Bartram  Tribute.  Bartram  Garden,  Kingsessiug.  June  13  aud  11,  1S(50. 
published  as  an  auxiliary  aid  to  the  purposes  of  the  Festival  given  by  the  ladies  of  St. 
James'  Episcopal  Church,  Kingsessiug.  1849.  Darlington— .l/emor/ai*  of  John 
Bartram  and  Humi:ihry  Marshall. 


48  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

and  functions  of  the  several  parts  of  the  flower.  For  the 
first  time  he  was  struck  witli  his  ignorance  of  the  common 
things  about  him. 

"  What  a  shame  it  is,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  that  I 
should  have  employed  so  many  years  in  tilling  the  earth, 
and  destroying  so  many  flowers  and  plants  without  being 
acquainted  with  their  structure  and  their  uses !  " 

In  relating  the  events  of  this  day,  he  would  declare  his 
inability  to  account  for  such  thoughts.  He  said  it  was  like 
an  inspiration,  for  he  had  never  had  such  reflections  before 
in  his  life.  After  pulling  his  daisy  to  pieces,  and  musing 
on  the  parts  awhile,  he  took  hold  of  his  plough  again,  and 
resumed  his  labor. 

But  his  new  thoughts  did  not  abandon  him,  and  a 
strong  desire  arose  within  him  for  some  knowledge  of  the 
plants  and  flowers  around  him.  When  the  bell  summoned 
him  to  dinner,  he  related  these  circumstances  to  his  wife, 
and  made  her  acquainted  with  the  desire  for  knowledge 
which  had  sprung  up  in  his  mind.  She  did  not  encourage 
him.  He  was  not  rich  enough,  she  said,  to  spend  any  of 
his  time  in  such  pursuits,  and  she  advised  him  to  stick  to 
his  farm,  which,  being  recently  hewed  out  of  the  wilderness, 
demanded  all  his  time  and  care. 

But  he  could  not  overcome  his  new  desire.  It  haunted 
him  continually,  whether  he  was  at  work  or  at  rest,  at  table 
or  in  bed.  He  resisted  the  impulse  for  four  or  five  days, 
and  then,  finding  his  desires  unconquerable,  he  hired  a 
man  to  plough  for  him,  saddled  his  horse  and  rode  to  Phila- 
delphia. Arriving  at  the  city,  then  a  town  of  ten  thousand 
inhabitants,  he  went  to  a  book  store.  Not  knowing  what 
book  to  ask  for,  he  told  the  bookseller  his  story,  and  said  he 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADKLPIIIA.  49 

wanted  a  book  which  would  give  liim  the  l)otanical  knowl- 
edge of  which  he  was  in  search.  The  bookseller  provided 
him  with  a  work  upon  botany  written  in  Latin,  and  a  Latin 
grammar  as  well.  This  was  sorry  comfort  to  a  mind  so 
eager,  but  he  was  fain  to  i)ut  the  books  in  his  saddle-l^acr, 
and  return  to  his  farm  with  them.  There  was  a  school- 
master in  the  neighborhood  who  taught  Latin,  and  under 
him  this  enthusiastic  student  made  such  progress,  that  in 
three  months  he  found  himself  able  to  translate,  slowly  and 
with  difficulty,  the  Latin  of  his  botanical  work. 

The  following  story  as  told  by  his  son  AVilliani,  of  how 
Bartram  became  a  botanist,  is  probably  more  authentic 
than  the  above  story  which  has  been  so  often  quoted.* 

"  Being  born  in  a  newly-settled  colony,  of  not  more  than 
fifty  years  establishment,  in  a  country  where  the  sciences  of 
the  old  continent  were  little  known,  it  cannot  be  supposed 
that  he  could  derive  great  advantages  or  assistance  from 
school-learning  or  literature.  He  had,  however,  all  or  most 
of  the  education  that  could,  at  that  time,  be  acquired  in 
country  schools ;  and  whenever  an  opportunity  offered  he 
studied  such  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  grammars  and  classics 
as  his  circumstances  enabled  him  to  purchase;  and  he 
always  sought  the  society  of  the  most  learned  and  virtuous 
men. 

"  He  had  a  very  early  inclination  to  the  study  of  physic 
and  surgery.  He  even  acquired  so  much  knowledge  in  the 
practice  of  the  latter  science  as  to  be  very  useful ;  and,  in 
many  instances,  he  gave  great  relief  to  his  poor  neighbors, 
who  were  unable  to  apply  for  medicines  and  assistance  to 
the  physicians  of  the  city  (Philadelphia).     It  is  extremely 

*  See  Meehan's  Munlhly,  ix,  %  (LSyy). 


50  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

probable  that,  as  most  of  his  medicines  were  derived  from 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  this  circumstance  might  point  out 
to  him  the  necessity  of  and  excite  a  desire  for  the  study  of 
botany."* 

James  Logan  was  probably  the  first  to  direct  the  mind 
of  John  Bartram  seriously  to  botany,  as  the  study  of  a  life- 
time. In  1729  he  wrote  to  England  for  a  copy  of  Parkin- 
son's Herbal,  which  he  wanted  to  present  to  John  Bartram, 
who,  he  said,  was  a  person  worthier  of  a  heavier  purse  than 
fortune  had  yet  allowed  him,  and  had  a  genius  perfectly 
well  turned  for  botany. t 

Then  he  began  to  botanize  all  over  the  farm.  In  a 
short  time  he  became  acquainted  with  every  plant,  shrub, 
tree  and  flower  in  his  neighborhood.  Then,  as  opportunity 
favored,  and  the  work  of  his  farm  allowed,  he  made  botan- 
ical tours  in  Maryland,  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware,  being 
entertained  by  the  members  of  the  religious  body  to  which 
he  belonged,  the  Society  of  Friends.  Ere  long,  his  circum- 
stances improving,  he  extended  his  journeys  into  A^irginia, 
the  Carolinas  and  Xew  York ;  until,  in  fact,  he  was 
acquainted  with  the  nature  and  habits  of  every  plant  that 
grew  between  the  Alleghany  range  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
and  had  recorded  his  observations  with  scientific  exactness. 

He  owed  the  leisure  which  enabled  him  to  pursue 
these  extensive  studies  to  his  excellent  treatment  of  his  ser- 
A^ants,  and  his  superior  management  of  his  farm.  At  a 
time  when  almost  every  other  farmer  of  any  wealth  culti- 
vated his  land  with  negro  slaves,  John  Bartram  set  his 


*  The  portion  of  the  sketch  designated  by  quotation  marks  is  taken  from  an 
account  of  John  Bartram  written  by  his  son  William,  and  published  in  Professor 
Barton's  Medical  and  Physical  Journal.  See  Bartram's  preface  to  Short's  Medicina 
Brilunnica.    (1751). 

t  1884.     ScHARF  AND  \\v:^icoTT— History  of  Philadelphia,  I,  234. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  51 

negroes  free,  paid  them  eighteen  pounds  a  year  wages, 
taught  them  to  read  and  write,  sat  with  them  at  table,  and 
took  them  with  him  to  Quaker  meetings.* 

He  was  the  second  Anglo-American  who  conceived 
the  idea  of  establishing  a  botanic  garden,  for  the  reception 
and  cultivation  of  the  various  vegetables,  natives  of  the 
country,  as  well  as  of  exotics,  and  of  traveling  for  the 
discovery  and  acquisition  of  them.  "  He  purchased  a  conve- 
nient piece  of  ground  at  sheriff's  sale  on  the  margin  of  the 
Schuylkill,  at  a  distance  of  three  miles  from  the  city,  f  a 
happy  situation,  possessing  every  soil  and  exposure  adapted 
to  the  various  nature  of  vegetables.  Here  he  built  with  his 
own  hands  a  comfortable  house  of  hewn  stone,  and  laid  out 
a  garden,  containing  about  five  acres  of  ground. 

"  He  began  his  travels  at  his  own  expense.  His  various 
excursions  rewarded  his  labors  with  the  possession  of  a  great 
variety  of  new,  beautiful  and  useful  trees,  shrubs  and  herba- 
ceous plants. 

"  A  member  of  Franklin's  celebrated  club,  called  the 
^'  Junto,"  Joseph  Breintnall,  an  enterprising  young  mer- 
chant of  Philadelphia,  much  interested  in  science,  was  the 
means  of  conveying  to  Europe  the  knowledge  which  John 
Bartram  had  collected.  One  of  the  noted  botanists  then 
living  in  England  was  a  Quaker  gentleman,  named  Peter 
Collinson,  a  rich  woolen  draper,  a  great  friend  all  his  life  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Pennsylvanians — a  correspondent  of 
Franklin   for  fifty  years.     To  this  excellent   man    Josepli 


*  James  Partox— IFood's  Household  Magazine,  Oct.,  1871,  p.  1(J7. 

fTHE  Deed— Owen  Owen,  SheriflF,  to  John  Bartram  bears  date  September  30, 
1728.  The  garden  was  probablj'  commenced  soon  afterwards.  The  year  in  which 
the  dwelling  house  was  erected  may  be  gathered  from  an  inscription  on  a  stone  in 
the  wall,  John    *    Ann :  Bartram  :  1731. 


52  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Breintnall  conveyed  John  Bartram's  botanical  diaries,  Avhich 
Collinson  read  with  extreme  interest,  and  he  opened  a  cor- 
respondence with  the  American  botanist  that  terminated 
only  with  his  life. 

"  He  carried  on  a  botanical  correspondence  witli  Queen 
Ulrica,  of  Sweden,  sister  of  Frederick  the  Great.  Indeed, 
we  may  say  that  through  John  Bart  ram  the  vegetable 
wealth  of  North  America  was  communicated  to  Europe. 
And  not  the  vegetable  wealth  only,  for  he  sent  to  his  friend, 
Collinson,  American  turtles,  birds,  animals,  minerals,  as  well 
as  minute  accounts  of  such  things  as  could  not  be  trans- 
ported. And  all  was  done  in  the  most  delightfully  simple, 
inexpensive,  unj^retending  manner.  Peter  Collinson  occa- 
sionally sent  the  American  botanist  a  pocket  compass  or  a 
new  suit  of  clothes,  which  Bartram  received  with  gratitude, 
and  repaid  by  a  box  of  live  turtles,  or  a  case  of  stuffed  birds. 
Probably  the  immense  and  incalculable  service  which  John 
Bartram  rendered  Europe  did  not  cost  Europe  a  thousand 
pounds  sterling. 

"  Peter  Collinson  and  John  Bartram,  both  Quakers  and 
both  botanists,  not  only  exchanged  long  letters  by  every 
ship  upon  their  favorite  science,  but  seeds,  roots,  cuttings, 
plants  and  trees.  Almost  every  ship  that  left  the  Delaware 
conveyed  something  of  this  nature — boxes  of  roots,  or  packets 
of  seeds — consigned  to  Peter  Collinson  in  London,  which 
on  arriving  were  tried  in  Collinson's  own  garden,  and 
distributed  among  noblemen  and  gentlemen  interested  in 
botany,  or  in  the  decoration  of  parks  and  grounds.  To 
encourage  Bartram  to  make  more  extensive  *  tours,  and  to 
compensate  him  for  labors  from  which  they  derived  so  much 
advantage,  Collinson,  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Lord  Petre 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADELPIIIA.  53 

subscribed  ten  guineas  each  per  annum,  the  vahie  to  be 
returned  to  them  in  American  seeds  and  roots.  Some  years 
later,  Bartram  was  appointed  botanist  to  the  king,  at  a  saLary 
of  fifty  pounds  a  year — one  of  tlie  wisest  expenditures  a  king- 
ever  made,  for  it  introduced  into  English  parks  and  gardens 
every  vegetable  production  of  North  America  which  could 
be  of  value.  In  1735  we  find  Collinson  sending,  in  addi- 
tion to  various  fruit  and  shade  trees,  many  flowers  which 
seem  to  have  been  new  to  America,  to  Bartram  witli  others, 
like  lilacs  and  double  narcissus,  which  Bartram  complains 
are  already  too  numerous,  as  the  roots  Ijrought  l)y  the  early 
settlers  had  spread  enormously. 

"  Among  the  new  flowers  for  America  we  find  tulips, 
double  sweet-briar  roses,  twenty  sorts  of  crocus,  lilies,  nar- 
cissus, gladiolus,  iris  and  snap-dragon,  also  the  perennial 
oriental  poppy,  cyclamens  and  carnations,  while  in  return 
Bartram  sends  Collinson  bush  honey-suckles,  fiery  lilies, 
mountain-laurel,  dog-tooth  violets,  wild  asters,  gentians, 
ginseng  and  sweet  fern,  with  magnolia,  tulip  and  locust 
trees,  the  hornbeam,  witchhazel,  cones  of  the  spruce  and 
hemlock,  red  and  white  cedar,  and  seeds  of  the  sugar  maple, 
about  which  the  Englishmen  were  very  curious.*  Nor  did 
he  confine  his  services  to  Great  Britain.  He  sent  American 
plants  and   seeds  to   Linnaeus   and    to  botanists  all  over 

Europe.f 

With  the  '  stimulus  given  to  him  through  corres- 
pondence and  exchange  with  European  botanists  and 
horticulturists  he  employed  much  of  his  time  in  traveling 
through  the  different  provinces  of  North  America,  at  that 


*  The  Asa  Qray  Bulletin,  IH,  April,  1895,  p.  15. 

fPARTON— iroocZ's  Household  Magazine,  October,  1871,  p.  169. 


54  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

time  subject  to  England.  Neither  dangers  nor  difficulties 
impeded  or  confined  his  researches  after  objects  in  natural 
history.  The  summits  of  our  highest  mountains  were 
ascended  and  explored  by  him.  The  lakes,  Ontario,  Iroquois 
and  George ;  the  shores  and  sources  of  the  rivers  Hudson, 
Delaware,  Schuylkill,  Susquehanna,  Alleghany  and  San 
Juan  were  visited  by  him  at  an  early  period,  when  it  was 
truly  a  perilous  undertaking  to  travel  in  the  territories,  or 
even  on  the  frontier.  The  results  of  this  extended  journey 
are  recorded  in  '  Observations  on  the  Inhabitants,  Climate, 
Soil,  Rivers,  Productions  (Animals  and  other  matters 
worthy  of  notice)  made  by  Mr.  John  Bartram  in  his  travels 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Onondago,  Oswego  and  the  Lake 
Ontario.'  Printed  by  J.  Whiston  and  B.  White,  Fleet 
Street,  1751. 

"  He  traveled  several  thousand  miles  in  Carolina  and 
Florida.  At  the  advanced  age  of  near  seventy  years, 
embarking  on  board  of  a  vessel  at  Philadelphia,  he  set  sail 
for  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina.  From  thence  he  pro- 
ceeded by  land  through  part  of  Carolina  and  Georgia  to 
St.  Agustine,  in  East  Florida.  When  arrived  at  the  last- 
mentioned  place — being  then  appointed  botanist  and 
naturalist  for  the  King  of  England,  for  exploring  the 
provinces — he  received  his  orders  to  search  for  the  sources 
of  the  great  river  St.  John's. 

"  Leaving  St.  Augustine,  he  traveled  by  land  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  embarking  in  a  boat  at  Picolata, 
ascended  that  great  and  beautiful  river  (400  miles)  to  its 
sources,  attending  carefully  to  its  various  branches  and  the 
lakes  connected  with  it.     Having  ascended  on  one  side  of 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKLl'IIIA.  55 

the  river,  he  descended  hy  the  other  side  to  its  confluence 
with  the  sea.* 

"  In  the  course  of  this  voyage  or  journey,  he  made  an 
accurate  draft  and  survey  of  tlie  various  widths,  depths, 
courses  and  distances,  both  of  the  main  stream  and  of  the 
lakes  and  branches.  He  also  noted  the  situation  and  quahty 
of  the  soil,  the  vegetable  and  animal  productions,  tog(;ther 
with  other  interesting  observations,  allot  which  were  liighly 
approved  of  by  the  governor  and  sent  to  the  Board  of  Trade 
and  plantations  in  England,  by  whose  direction  they  were 
ordered  to  be  published  for  the  benefit  of  the  new  colony. 

"  Out  of  his  great  but  unfulfilled  desire  to  explore  the 
Mississippi  Valley  grew  that  idea  of  exploring  the  Missouri 
country,  discussed  immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  War, 
by  Franklin,  William  Bartram  and  the  Marshalls.  This 
discussion  and  hope  became  almost  a  reality  ten  years  after- 
ward, when  Dr.  Wistar  wrote  to  one  of  the  Marshalls  that 
'  Mr.  Jefferson  and  others  are  much  interested  *  *  * 
and  think  they  can  insure  a  thousand  guineas  to  any  one 
who  undertakes  the  journey,  and  can  bring  satisfactory 
proof  of  having  passed  across  to  the  South  Sea.  If  thee 
can  come  to  town  and  converse  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  I  am 
confident  no  small  matter  will  stop  them.' 

"Something  happened,  for  ten  years  later,  when  the 
expedition  started  in  1803  that  was  to  give  us  the  Oregon 
country  as  proof  of  having  reached  'the  South  Sea,  we  know 
it  was  led  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  but  Jefferson's  instructions 
to  them  read  like  extracts  from  Bartram's  letters. 

"  Mr.  Bartram  was  a  man  of  modest  and  gentle 
manners,  frank,  cheerful,  and  of  great  good-nature  ;  a  lover 


lS-49.    Darlington'— J/emori«is  o/ ./o/i/i  Bay-tram  and  HiDnphri/  Marshall. 


56  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  justice,  truth,  and  charity.  He  was,  himself,  an  example 
of  filial,  conjugal,  and  parental  affection.  His  humanit}^ 
gentleness,  and  compassion  were  manifested  upon  all  occa- 
sions, and  were  even  extended  to  the  animal  creation.  He 
was  never  known  to  have  been  at  enmity  with  any  man. 
During  the  whole  course  of  his  life  there  was  not  a  single 
instance  of  his  engaging  in  a  litigious  contest  with  any  of 
his  neighbors  or  others.  He  zealously  testified  against 
slavery ;  and  that  his  philanthropic  precepts  on  this  sub- 
ject might  have  their  due  weight  and  force,  he  gave  liberty 
to  a  most  valuable  male  slave,  then  in  the  prime  of  his  life, 
wdio  had  been  bred  up  in  the  family  almost  from  infancy. 

"  He  was  through  life  a  striking  example  of  temperance, 
especially  in  the  use  of  vinous  and  spirituous  liquors ;  not 
from  a  passion  of  parsimony,  but  from  a  principle  of 
morality.  His  common  drink  was  pure  water,  small  beer, 
or  cider  mixed  with  milk.  Nevertheless,  he  always  kept 
a  good  and  plentiful  table.  Once  a  year — commonly  on 
New  Year's  Day — he  made  a  liberal  entertainment  for  his 
relations  and  particular  friends. 

"A  foreign  gentleman,  who  visited  him  in  his  old  age, 
says,  '  that  when  the  bell  announced  that  dinner  was  ready, 
the  whole  family  and  all  the  servants  went  into  the  dining- 
room  together.  At  the  head  of  the  table,  the  father  and 
mother  took  their  seat.  The  family  and  the  guests  sat 
next  to  them  ;  then,  the  white  hired  men,  and  last  of  all,  the 
negroes ;  and  they  all  dined  together  in  harmony.  One  of 
his  negroes  was  his  steward  and  man  of  business,  who  went 
to  market,  sold  the  produce,  and  transacted  all  the  business 
of  the  farm  and  family  in  Philadelphia.'  '•' 


Wood's  Household  Magazine,  October,  1S71. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  57 

"  His  stature  was  rather  above  the  middle  size,  and 
upright.  His  visage  was  long,  and  his  countenance  expres- 
sive of  a  degree  of  dignity,  with  a  happy  mixture  of 
animation  and  sensibility. 

"  He  was  naturally  industrious  and  active,  both  in  body 
and  mind,  observing  that  he  never  could  find  more  time 
than  he  could  employ  to  satisfaction  and  advantage,  either 
in  improving  conversation,  or  in  some  healthy  and  useful 
bodily  exercise  ;  and  he  was  astonished  to  hear  men  com- 
plaining that  they  were  weary  of  their  time,  and  knew  not 
what  they  should  do. 

"  He  was  born  and  educated  in  the  sect  called  Quakers. 
But  his  religious  creed  may,  perhaps,  be  best  collected  from 
a  pious  distich,  engraven  by  his  own  hand,  in  very 
conspicuous  characters  upon  a  stone  placed  over  tlie  front 
window  of  the  apartment  which  was  destined  for  study  nnd 
philosophical  retirement. 

"IT  IS  GOD  ALONE  ALMYTY  LORD 
THE  HOLY  ONE  BY  ME  ADOR'D 
lOHN  B  ARTE  AM  1770." 

"  A  man  of  great  liberality  in  his  religious  opinions,  he 
used  to  say  that  man's  whole  duty  was  comprised  in  the 
three-fold  injunction  :  '  Do  justice,  love  mercy,  and  walk 
humbly  before  God.' 

"  He  never  coveted  old  age,  and  often  observed  to  his 
children  and  friends  that  he  sincerely  desired  that  he 
might  not  live  longer  than  he  could  afford  assistance  to 
himself;  for  he  was  unwilling  to  be  a  burden  to  his  friends, 
or  useless  in  society ;  and  that  wlien  death  came  to  perform 
his  office,  there  mioht  not  be  much  delay. 


58  THE  BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

"  To  his  seventy-ninth  year  he  was  a  happy,  cheerful, 
active,  useful  man,  and  he  died  after  a  short  illness,  sur- 
rounded by  his  large  family  of  respectable  and  virtuous 
children.  He  would  probably  have  lived  longer  but  for  his 
great  dread  that  the  British  army,  after  the  battle  of 
Brandywine,  would  overrun  his  darling  garden,  which 
had  been  his  pride  and  delight  for  fifty  years.  They  spared 
it,  however,  but  the  shock  of  apprehension  hastened  the 
departure  of  the  illustrious  gardener." 

It  appears  by  the  records  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  of  which  John  Bart  ram  was  one  of  the  original 
members,  that  he  died  on  the  22nd  of  September,  1777, 
aged  seventy-eight  years  and  six  months. 

John  Bartram  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was 
Mary,  daughter  of  Richard  Maris,  of  Chester  ^Monthly 
Meeting.  They  were  married  in  January,  1723,  and  had 
two  sons,  Richard  and  Isaac  ;  the  former  of  whom  died  young. 
Isaac  died  in  1801,  aged  about  seventy-six  years.  Mary 
Bartram  died  in  1727.  His  second  wife  was  Ann  Menden- 
hall,  of  Concord  Monthly  ^Meeting  (then  Chester)  Delaware 
County.  They  were  married  in  September,  1729,  and  had 
nine  childreiL  Ann  Bartram  survived  her  husband  upward 
of  six  years,  dying  on  the  29th  of  January,  1784,  at  the 
age  of  87. 

Bartram  was  not  satisfied  with  being  merely  a  farmer. 
He  desired  to  understand  the  philosoj^hy  of  his  calling. 
So  in  September,  1728,  he  bought  at  sheriff's  sale  *  a  piece 
of  ground  on  the  west  side  of  the  Schuylkill  river,  below  the 
Lower  Ferry,  on  the  road  to  Darby,  which  had  belonged  to 
Frederick  Schobbenhausen.     Here  was  commenced  in  1730, 


Owen  Owen,  High  Sheriflf  to  John  Bartram,  September  30,  1728. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  59 

and  finished  in  1731,  a  house  of  hewn  stone,  of  quaint,  old- 
foshioned  style  of  architecture,  which,  solid  and  enduriiig 
in  its  material,  has  stood  against  the  dilapidatino-  fingers  of 
time  for  over  a  century  and  a  half.  It  has  been  said  tliat 
Bartram  built  this  house  with  his  own  hands.  Upon  a 
stone  built  in  the  south  wall,  above  the  second  story,  is  this 
inscription  -."^ 


^^  ee02  ^^^^^^  2i2Zi2  ^^^j^^!^^);^ 
lOHN  ♦  ANN  :  BARTRAM  :  1731. 


The  wood-work  over  the  porch  and  stone  and  Ijrick 
addition  on  the  south  were  added  in  this  century.  The 
western  doorway  was  the  original  entrance,  and  through  it 
one  steps  dow^n  into  the  house.  The  rooms  are,  with  one 
exception,  small,  and  are  floored  with  the  original  heavy 
oak  boards.  In  one  of  the  rooms  a  cupboard  in  tlie  wall 
beside  the  chimney  is  shown  as  the  place  where  Bartram 
kept  his  seeds.  This  is  doubtful,  when  the  great  quantity 
he  kept  on  hand  is  considered,  and,  in  spite  of  the  thick- 
ness of  the  wall,  this  cupboard  must  have  been  a  rather 
w^arm  place. 

Iwan  Alexiowitz  quoted  by  St.  John,  t  speaking  of 
Bartram's  house  and  garden,  says:  "His  house  is  small, 
but  decent;  there  was  something  peculiar  in  its  first 
appearance,  which  seemed  to  distinguish  it  from  those 
of  his  neighbors ;  a  small  tower  J  in  tlie  middle  of  it 
not  only  helped  to  strengthen  it,  but  aftbrded  convenient 
room    for   a   staircase.       Every    disposition   of   the   fields, 

*  The  inscription  in  Greek  reads  translated  "  [I]  God  save,"  possibly  intended 

for  imperative  0SO2  [2£]  2nz£  God  [thee]  save.   Bartram  used  the  character  f  for  E. 

t  1895.    Westcott— r/ie  Historic  Mansions  and  Buildings  of  Philadelphia,  1S3. 

I  See  frontispiece    of  DxKLi-^Qjos-Memorials  of  Bartram  and  Marshall, 
pp.  44-46. 


60  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

fences  and  trees,  seemed  to  bear  the  marks  of  perfect 
order  and  regularity,  which  in  rural  affairs  always  indicates 
a  prosperous  industry."  t^  ^^  ^  ^  ^y^,  entered  into  a 
large  hall,  where  there  was  a  long  table  full  of  victuals, 
at  the  lowest  part  sat  his  negroes,  his  hired  men  were 
next,  then  the  family  and  myself,  and  at  the  head  the 
venerable  father  and  wife  presided.  Each  reclined  his  head 
and  said  his  prayers,  divested  of  the  tedious  cant  of  some 
and  of  the  ostentatious  style  of  others.  After  dinner  we 
quaffed  an  honest  bottle  of  Madeira  wine,  ^  *  *  and 
then  retired  into  his  study.  I  was  no  sooner  entered  than  I 
observed  a  coat-of-arms  in  a  gilt  frame,  with  the  name 
John  Bartram.  The  novelty  of  such  a  decoration  in  such 
a  place  struck  me.  I  could  not  avoid  asking :  '  Does  the 
Society  of  Friends  take  any  pride  in  these  armorial  bear- 
ings, which  sometimes  serve  as  marks  of  distinction  between 
families,  and  much  oftener  as  food  for  pride  and  ostenta- 
tion.' '  Thee  must  know  '  (said  he)  '  that  my  father  was  a 
Frenchman  "^^ ;  he  brought  the  piece  of  painting  over  with 
him." 

Nearly  forty  years  afterward,  over  the  front  window  of 
his  study  was  engraved  this  inscription : 

"IT  IS  GOD  ALONE  ALMYTY  LORD 
THE  HOLY  ONE  BY  ME  ADOR'D 
lOHN  BAKTEAM  1770." 

Entering  the  house  in  which  Robert  J.  Rule,  with  his 
family,  now  (1899)  resides,  the  old  dwelling  is  found   to 


*  This  is  an  error.  The  reference  is  to  a  Norman  Frenchman  that  came  with 
William  the  Conqueror  into  England.  The  original  spelling  of  the  name  was 
Bertram.  The  description  of  the  coat  of  arms  (see  frontispiece)  is  as  follows: 
Gu.  on  an  escutcheon  or,  betw.  eight  crosses  pattee  ar.  an  anvil  ppr.  Crest — Issuing 
out  of  an  antique  crown  or,  a  ram's  head  ppr.  Motto— J'avance. 


CARVED  STONE  WORK,   BARTRARI'S  HOUSE 
(EAST  FRONT). 


THE    DUTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  61 

abound  in  querks  and  turns,  cunning  cupboards  and 
curiously  carved  closets  and  mantels,  set  in  the  thick  walls. 
There  are  seven  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  six  on  the  second, 
and  six  attic  rooms,  and  over  them  again  is  a  long  kjft, 
but  it  seems  likely  from  their  appearance  that  one  or  more 
of  these  rooms  were  made  at  a  recent  period.  In  the  apart- 
ments to  the  right,  as  you  enter,  a  quaint  den  with  curious 
fastenings  is  noticeable,  which  leads  out  to  the  sunny  front 
porch.  This  doorway  was  somewhat  altered  l)y  Mr.  East- 
wick,  who  erected  on  the  interior  a  second  door,  thus  making 
a  small  closet,  the  wall  being  over  half  a  foot  thick ;  this 
second  door  should,  undoubtedly,  be  pulled  down,  and  the 
front  entrance  to  the  house  facing  the  river  again  be  used. 
In  the  kitchen,  Mr.  Eastwick's  alterations  are  again  notice- 
able, as  the  old  fire-place,  about  five  and  a  half  feet  high 
and  well  nigh  six  feet  long,  has  been  boarded  up  by  a 
wooden  wainscoating  of  modern  appearance,  which  runs  all 
around  the  room  and  detracts  from  the  old-fashioned 
character  of  the  apartment.  The  old  fire-place,  however,  is 
still  intact,  and  could  be,  with  little  trouble,  restored  to  its 
former  appearance. 

All  the  walls  of  the  house  have,  unfortunately,  been 
papered.  In  the  sitting-room,  also,  the  fire-place  has  been 
boarded  up,  and  the  old  Franklin  stove,  a  present  from 
"  Friend  Benjamin,"  has  been  removed.  In  this  room  can 
still  be  seen  Ann  Bartram's  china  closet,  a  very  pretty  piece 
of  old-fashioned  wood- work.  It  is  built  in  the  wall  over  the 
mantel-piece.  To  the  left,  on  one  side  of  it,  is  a  curious  old 
cubby-hole,  a  deep  closet  running  from  tlie  floor  to  the  ceil- 
ing, with  a  recess  behind  in  the  solid  wall,  running  back  of 
the  chimney,    where    Bartram    secreted    his    money    and 


62  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

valuables.  Passing  down  a  short  flight  of  steps  from  the 
sitting-room,  we  stand  upon  the  floor  of  an  airy  apartment, 
looking  towards  the  south,  with  three  large  windows,  two 
looking  into  the  garden,  and  one  facing  the  river.  From 
this  room  there  is  a  doorway  leading  out  into  the  garden. 
This  apartment,  it  is  said,  was  once  the  conservatory  where 
rare  plants  and  gaudy  lilies  bloomed. 

We  next  enter  the  room  which  John  Bartram  occupied. 
It  is,  perhaps,  the  smallest  apartment  in  the  house,  with  one 
door  leading  to  the  sitting-room  and  another  opening  on 
the  front  porch.  It  has  a  large  window  facing  the  river,  and 
a  small  window,  which  has  been  pasted  over  with  wall  paper 
looking  into  the  conservatory.  It  was  in  Bartram 's  room, 
in  later  years  it  is  said,  that  Alexander  Wilson,  the  noted 
ornithologist,  wrote  the  first  pages  of  his  great  work  on  our 
American  birds,  under  the  patronage  and  aided  by  the  sug- 
gestions of  William  Bartram,  the  son  and  successor  of  John 
Bartram. 

The  old  staircase  which  leads  to  the  second  floor  is  still 
in  existence,  but  Mr.  Eastwick  removed  the  original  balus- 
trade and  substituted  a  modern  one.  However,  he  left  on 
the  first  landing  a  fragment  of  the  original  balustrade  made 
by  Bartram,  which  would  be  a  sufficient  guide  to  duplicate 
the  whole.  The  rooms  on  the  upper  floor  are,  no  doubt, 
exactly  as  they  were  in  Bartram's  day,  with  the  exception 
that  the  old-fashioned  fire-place  has  been  boarded  up  and 
the  walls  papered,  and  that  the  porch  has  been  converted  into 
a  sleeping  room.  In  one  room  the  visitor  is  particularly 
impressed  with  the  incongruous  appearance  of  a  modern 
iron  register  built  into  one  of  the  walls  to  furnish  the  room 
with   heat   from   a   stove   below.     There   are  some  of  the 


> 

w 

X 

Q 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADELPITIA.  63 

quaintest  and  most  interesting  bits  of  old-fashioned  wood- 
work imaginable  over  the  mantels  in  these  up-stairs  rooms 
of  Bartram's  house. 

The  old  wood-shed  figured  in  Meehan's  MontJtly, 
January,  189G  {Yl:  17),  was  for  a  long  time  Bartram's 
potting  and  packing  shed,  and  doubtless  many  of  the 
cherished  plants  of  Collinson  and  other  English  worthies 
saw  the  light  of  America  here  for  the  last  time.  It  was  in 
this  shed  that  the  work  published  in  1853,  describing  all 
the  trees  then  growing  in  Bartram's  garden,  was  written. 
The  writer  of  that  work,  Thos.  Meehan,  lived  a  mile  from 
the  garden,  and  to  save  his  time  the  offer  to  fit  up  a  room 
in  this  wood-shed  was  made  and  accepted,  and  "  The  Hand- 
book of  Ornamental  Trees  "  was  completed  under  the  shade 
of  the  trees  of  the  garden.* 

These  buildings  stand  about  midway  in  the  grounds, 
where  the  higher  portion  ends  and  the  slope  to  the  Schuyl- 
kill begins,  and  are  reached,  as  in  Bartram's  time,  by  a 
private  lane  that  runs  in  from  Darby  Road,  and  Avhich  is 
bordered  by  forest  trees,  among  them  some  beautiful  willow 
and  pin  oaks. 

The  lane  skirts  the  upper  part  of  the  orchard  whore 
Bartram  experimented  successfully  with  irrigation.  Xear 
a  group  of  white  pines  a  diverging  path  runs  diagonally 
from  the  lane  across  the  orchard,  past  a  fine  yew,  and  on  to 
the  west  entrance  to  the  house,  where  lane  and  patli  meet 
again  at  the  doorway,  after  having  passed  through  the  oldest 
part  of  the  garden.  Near  the  house  they  cross  a  railroad 
cut  (really  a  picturesque  feature,  its  rocky  walls  curtained 


*  The   American  Hand-book  of    Ornamental   Trees,    by    Thomas    Meehan, 
gardener,  Philadelphia.    Lippincott,  (irambo  ct  Co.,  lSo3,  octavo  pp.,  xv.  257. 


64  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Avith  herbaceous  plants  and  vines)  that  marks  the  site 
of  the  old  kitchen  garden  ;  between  this  and  the  house  was 
the  flower  garden,  and  portions  of  the  beds  are  yet  outlined 
by  box  borders  that  were  planted  about  fifty  years  ago. 

The  path  is,  perhaps,  rather  more  attractive  than  the 
lane.  From  its  entrance  into  the  grounds,  across  the  bridge, 
past  the  barns  and  to  the  house-door  it  is  like  turning  the 
pages  of  the  earlier  Collinson  letters.  First  come  the 
"  narrow-leaved  oaks  "  and  "  noble  white  pines ;  "  close  by  the 
bridge  is  "  that  curious  tree  from  the  Jerseys  "  (Hackberry, 
Celtis  occidentaliH) ;  near  the  west  door  a  "  sugar-tree  "  and 
horse-chestnut ;  the  latter,  perhaps,  the  one  that  Bartram 
believed  to  have  been  the  first  to  blossom  in  America. 

The  garden  which  Bartram  laid  out  adjoining  his 
house  by  the  exercise  of  his  skill,  industry  and  taste, 
became  one  of  the  most  attractive  places  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  city.  The  ground  occupied  six  or  seven  acres, 
with  a  variety  of  soils  and  diff^erent  exposure.  The  garden, 
according  to  St.  John,  contained  a  great  variety  of  curious 
shrubs  ;  some  grew  in  a  greenhouse,  over  the  door  of  which 
were  written  these  lines : 

"Slave  to  no  sect,  who  takes  no  private  road, 
But  looks  through  Nature  up  to  Nature's  God." 

From  the  house  to  the  river  the  land  fcills  gradually, 
but  directly  in  front  of  the  house  is  a  terrace,  with  remains 
of  a  box-border  along  its  outer  edge,  w^here  it  is  upheld  by 
a  dry  stone  retaining-wall,  pierced  by  two  narrow  flights  of 
steps.  From  the  terrace,  paths  originally  led  by  circuitous 
routes  through  the  grounds  and  down  to  the  river ;  one  of 
them  ran  near  the  greenhouse,  whose  lines  are  still  visible. 


THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  65 

a  short  distance  from  a  very  beautiful  yellow-wood,  Cladrastis 
lutea.  Further  down,  this  path  runs  near  the  great 
cypress,  Taxodium  distichum  brought  to  the  garden  by 
Bartram,  and  now  seven  feet  in  diameter.  John  Bartram  * 
while  on  his  journey  through  the  Florida  swamps  lost 
his  whip,  and  in  looking  for  a  switch  saw  a  small  sapling 
growing  erect  by  the  river-side.  He  stopped  his  horse, 
got  down  on  the  ground,  and  pulled  it  up  by  the  roots. 
Instead  of  using  it  for  a  whip  as  was  his  intention,  he  put  it 
in  his  saddle-bag  and  brought  it  home,  planting  it  in  the 
northern  part  of  his  garden,  predicting  at  the  time  that  it 
would  grow  to  an  immense  height.  His  saying  proved  true, 
for  to-day  it  is  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and  150-175  feet  high. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  grounds  are  the  fine  magno- 
lias ;  one  of  them  31.  acuminata,  was  first  made  known  by 
John  Clayton  in  1736.  In  the  garden  there  stands  a  speci- 
men undoubtedly  the  one  which  Bartram  discovered  on  the 
Susquehanna  during  his  trip  with  Conrad  Weiser  to  the 
Five  Nations  in  1743.  Bartram  sent  plants  to  Peter  Collin- 
son,  in  whose  gardens  and  in  those  of  Lord  Petre  it  was 
first  cultivated  in  Europe.  Near  by  growls  the  "  rose  bay," 
as  they  first  called  the  rhododendron,  and  a  noble  mossy- 
cup  oak,  one  of  the  finest  trees  on  the  place.  In  other  parts 
of  the  garden  are  found  the  following : 

Magnolia  Fraseri,  discovered  by  William  Bartram  in 
May,  1776,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Keowee.  It  was  intro- 
duced probably  from  Bartram's  garden  ten  years  later. 

Asimina  triloba  Avas  first  cultivated  in  1736  by  Peter 
Collinson,  who  probably  received  it  from  John  Bartram. f 

*Probablj'  obtained  in  Delaware.  I  give  the  usual  version  of  the  story.  The 
tree,  alive  in  1890,  is  now  dead. 

t  Sargent— Silva  of  JSorth  America,  I,  24.  . 


66  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Gordonia  puhescens.  All  of  the  specimens  in  cultivation 
are  descendants  of  the  plants  collected  by  the  Bartrams  and 
Marshall.  The  specimen  plants  by  John  Bartram  was 
described  as  thirty  feet  high  by  Wm.  Wynne,  writing  to  Lou- 
don's Gardeners'  Magazine  (viii,  272),  in  Nov.  1831,  when  the 
tree  was  in  flower.*  The  large  tree  in  the  garden  was 
blown  down  a  few  years  since.  Wm.  DeHart,  who  knew  the 
Bartrams,  has  a  descendant  of  the  large  tree  in  his  garden 
(1899)  on  Woodland  Avenue,  Philadelphia,  about  thirty 
feet  high.  There  are  trees  also  nearly  as  large  in  Fair- 
mount  Park  and  Meehan's  nurseries. 

Oyrilla  racemiflora,  proved  hardy,  according  to  Xuttall, 
in  the  garden,  where  in  1840  he  found  a  specimen  twenty 
feet  high  and  twenty-six  inches  in  diameter. 

Cliftonia  ligustrina,  according  to  Nuttall  (Silva  II,  9-1), 
was  also  hardy  here. 

Rhamnus  Furshiana  was  discovered  in  1805  or  1806  in 
what  is  now  Montana,  by  the  members  of  the  trans-conti- 
nental expedition  under  the  command  of  Lewis  and  Clark. f 
In  1838  Rafinesque  describes  in  the  "  Sylva  Telluriana " 
his  Personon  laurifolium,  from  a  plant  which  he  found  in 
Bartram's  garden.  This  is  the  earliest  record  of  the  culti- 
vation of  the  tree,  for  there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  doubt 
that  it  was  this  plant  which  Rafinesque  had  in  mind. 

jEscuIus  Hippocastanum  was  brought  for  the  first  time 
in  America  from  seed  sent  in  April,  1746,  to  John  Bartram. 

Quercus  Fhellos  %.      A    specimen    of  this   peculiar  tree 


*A  notice  of  this  tree  was  published  in  Thomas  Meehans  Ihe  American 
Hand-book  of  Ornamental  Trees,  p.  127.  Discovered  in  1765  near  Fort  Barrington, 
on  the  Altamaha  River  in  Georgia,  and  named  Franklinia  in  honor  of  Franklin. 

t  Sargent — Garden  and  Forest,  ix,  76. 

J  Sargent— iSi^ta  of  North  America,  viii,  180. 


BIG  CYPRESS,  BARTEAM'S  GARDEN  (1890). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  67 

growing  in  a  field  belonging  to  John  Bartram  was  first 
described  by  the  younger  Miehaux  in  1(S42,  although  it 
appears  to  have  been  known  much  earlier,  as  "  that  particu- 
lar species  of  oak  that  Dr.  ^Mitchell  found  in  tliy  meadow," 
seeds  of  which  Peter  Collinson  asked  from  "  my  good  friend 
John,"  in  March,  1750,  w^as  probably  of  this  tree.  It  was 
destroyed,  but  a  seedling  planted  by  Humphry  Marshall 
in  his  arboretum  at  Marshallton,  more  than  a  century 
since,  still  survives.'^ 

It  is  said  that  Washington  and  Franklin  made  frequent 
visits  to  the  garden  just  prior  to  the  Revolution,  and  used  to 
sit  under  the  shade  of  the  old  grape-arbor,  which  was  located 
a  few  yards  from  the  northern  portion  of  the  house. 
They  w^ould  sit  and  talk,  enjoying  the  delightful  scene  of 
the  w^ooded  banks  and  meadows  along  the  Schuylkill.  It 
has  rightly  been  called  the  Washington  Arbor.  The  stone 
that  Washington  used  to  step  upon  in  alighting  from  his 
door-step  to  the  sidewalk  at  the  house  in  which  he  lived  on 
Sixth  Street,  below  Market,  w^as  also  until  recently  kept 
under  this  arbor.  At  the  southern  end  of  the  old  mansion 
you  see  an  old  pear  tree  still  vigorous,  spreading  its 
branches.  This  was  called  by  John  Bartram  "  The  Petre 
Pear  Tree,"  from  the  fact  of  its  having  been  raised  from  a 
seedling  sent  over  from  England  in  17G0  by  Lady  Petre. f 

*  The  following  catalogue  of  plants  prepared  in  1807  will  give  some  idea  ot 
the  extent  of  the  collections  :  '•  A  Catalogue  of  Trees,  Shrubs  and  Herbaceous  Plants, 
indigenous  to  the  United  States  of  America,  cultivated  and  disposed  of  by  John 
Bartram  &  Son  at  their  Botanical  Garden,  Kingsessing,  near  Philadelphia.  To  which 
is  added  a  Catalogue  of  Foreign  Plants  collected  from  various  parts  of  the  Globe. 
Philadelphia.    Printed  by  Bartram  and  Reynolds,  No.  58  North  Second  Street,  1807." 

fit  is  alive  in  1899.  In  reply  to  a  letter  (189."i)  presenting  some  of  the  pears  to 
Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey,  Cornell  University,  he  writes  me:  "It  is  a  famous  old  variety, 
scarcely  known,  however,  out  of  Bartram's  own  garden  in  Philadelphia.  I  had 
never  seen  it  before,  and  I  am  glad  to  add  a  photograph  of  it  to  my  collection  of 
curiosities."  The  tree  is  seen  to  the  right  in  the  illustration  of  the  south  side  of 
Bartram's  house. 


68  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

On  leaving  the  house  from  the  soutliern  doorway  may 
be  seen  a  narrow  gravel  walk,  closed  in  on  either  side  by  a 
row  of  rare  specimens  of  fir  trees,  pines,  oaks,  etc.  Here  is 
the  celebrated  Bartram  oak,  Q.  heterophylla."^'  There  may  be 
seen  also  two  fine  specimens  of  boxwood  sent  to  John  Bar- 
tram  by  the  Earl  of  Bute,  from  Smyrna  and  Tui'key, 
respectively. 

The  box-trees  planted  about  the  house  are  of  such 
enormous  size  that  they  interfere  with  all  views,  and  near  the 
upper  corner  of  the  house  is  a  thorn  (Christ  thorn)  sent  by  Col- 
linson,  and  near  the  south  end  is  the  pear  tree,  already 
referred  to.  Probably  two  of  the  most  curious  objects  to  be 
seen  in  the  garden  is  the  old  cider  press,  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  drilled  out  of  a  solid  piece  of  rock,  and  the  grotto 
in  the  woods  to  one  side  of  the  house.  The  grave  where 
Harvey,  the  slave,  is  buried  lies  to  the  south-east  of  the  house, 
along  the  river  front,  the  head-stone  being  almost  entirely 
destroyed  by  relic  hunters  before  the  city  bought  the 
property,  t 

Dr.  James  Mease,  writing  in  1810,  said  that  Bartram's 
garden  contained  about  eight  acres.  "From  the  house 
there  is  a  gentle  descent  to  the  river  Schuylkill,  from  the 
banks  of  which  a  fine  prospect  opens  of  that  river  and  of 
rich  meadows  up  and  down  on  both  sides.  The  Delaware 
is  also  seen  at  a  distance.  The  garden  contains  many  of 
the  tall  southern  forest  trees,  which  have  been  successfully 
introduced  by  the  father  or  his  son  William,  and  have  been 
naturalized." 


*  Quercus  heterophylla  Michaux  f.  Hist.  Am.  2 :  87  pi.  16,  the  Bartram  Oak, 
probably  a  hybrid  of  Q  Phellos  with  Q  rubra,  but  perhaps  a  distinct  species,  inter- 
mediate in  leaf  and  fruit  character  between  the  two,  occurs  from  Staten  Island  to 
North  Carolina. 

t  Now  carefully  marked. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  09 

Ann  M.,  daughter  of  John  Bartram  (a  nepliew  of 
William),  married  Robert  Carr,  a  printer,  in  March,  1809. 
Mr.  Carr  was  an  officer  in  the  United  States  army,  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  conspicuous  among  the  local  militia.  He 
was  for  some  time  Adjutant-General  of  the  State,  with  the 
title  of  Colonel.  After  this  marriage,  the  father  of  Colonel 
Carr's  wife  assisted  William  in  the  garden  until  his  death 
in  1812.  He  was  a  very  ingenious  mechanic,  and  fond  of 
using  tools,  but  his  greatest  delight  was  in  drawing  and 
painting.  He  drew  the  greater  number  of  plates  in  Pro- 
fessor Barton's  Elements  of  Botany,  published  in  1803- 
William  died  suddenly  June  22,  1823.  He  was  never 
married.  Colonel  Carr,  after  his  marriage,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  the  botanic  garden,  and  devoted  himself  with  great 
care  and  interest  to  the  preservation  of  the  collection. 

The  committee  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural 
Society,  which  visited  the  garden  in  1830,  when  it  was  still 
under  the  direction  of  Robert  Carr,  found  the  estate  to  be  in 
most  excellent  order.  They  reported  as  follows:  "The 
present  owner  is  likewise  adding  annually  and  extensively,"^ 
and  the  committee  consider  his  garden  and  grounds  a  rich 
deposit  of  the  American  flora.  From  this  nursery  many 
thousands  of  plants  and  seeds  are  exported  every  season. 
It  is  computed  that  there  are  2000  species  of  our  native 
productions,  contained  in  a  space  of  six  acres.  Plants  of 
every  size  are  to  be  seen  here,  from  the  minutest  marchantia 
to  the  loftiest  cypress.  One  of  these  is  112  feet  high,  25  feet 
in  circumference,  and  91  years  old.  A  young  Norway 
spruce  of  80  feet  stands  close  by  and  also  one  of  our  native 


*  Compare  the   Seed  Catalogue  of  1.S07  with  that  of  1S28,  which  is  to  be  had 
at  the  Library  of  the  Penna.  Historical  Society  or  the  Philadelphia  Library. 


70  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

magnolias  {M.  acuminata),  of  the  same  height.  Here,  too,  is 
the  Kentucky  Coffee  Tree — the  Acacia  JuUhrissin,  so  beauti- 
ful in  flower,  and  graceful  in  form — the  fly-catcher  {Dionsea 
muscipula),  etc. 

"  On  the  south  of  the  garden  is  a  field  of  three  acres, 
preparing  for  a  vineyard,  as  an  addition  to  the  one  already 
planted.  Mr.  Carr  has  145  sorts  of  grapes  and  has  produced 
very  good  wine  for  some  years  past. 

"  The  exotic  department  of  this  garden  is  also  very  rich, 
consisting  of  900  varieties,  besides  a  splendid  collection  of 
more  than  800  camelias,  containing  36  sorts.  The  green 
and  hot-houses  are  196  feet  long,  and  much  framing  is  in 
use.  The  largest  sago  palm  that  we  have  ever  seen  is  here  ; 
the  circumference  of  the  foliage  is  22  feet,  and  of  the  stem, 
3  feet  4  inches.  Some  beautiful  species  of  tropical  produc- 
tion may  be  enumerated ;  such  as  the  Euphorbia  Jietero- 
phylla  with  its  large  scarlet  flowers,  Zamia,  Pandanus, 
Maranta,  Ficus  and  a  Testudinaria  elephantipes,  supposed  to 
be  150  years  old ;  some  curious  species  of  cactus  lately 
received  from  Mexico — these  last  are  astonishing  produc- 
tions, and  new  to  us.  A  lemon  tree  from  seed  is  worthy  of 
notice  on  account  of  its  easy  propogation.  j\lr.  Carr's  fruit 
nursery  has  been  greatly  improved,  and  wdll  be  enlarged 
next  Spring  to  twelve  acres ;  its  present  size  is  eight.  The 
trees  are  arranged  in  systematic  order  and  the  walks  well 
graveled.  Here  are  to  be  found  113  varieties  of  apples,  72  of 
pears,  22  of  cherries,  17  of  apricots,  45  of  plums,  39  of 
peaches,  5  of  nectarines,  3  of  almonds,  6  of  quinces,  5  of 
mulberries,  6  of  raspberries,  6  of  currants,  5  of  filberts,  S  of 
walnuts,  6  of  strawberries  and  2  of  medlars.  Mr.  Carr,  who 
deserves  so  much  credit  for  the  classification  of  his  nursery. 


BAKTBAM'S  (JARDKN  IN  1890 
(LOOKING  FROM  KIVEK). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  71 

is  no  less  entitled  to  praise  for  the  admirable  order  in  which 
his  tool-house  is  kept.  This  applies  likewise  to  the  seed 
room,  where  the  best  method  is  preserved  in  putting  up  our 
native  seeds.  That  apartment,  moreover,  contains  a  library 
of  400  volumes,  in  which  are  all  the  late  works  on  botany 
and  horticulture."  * 

Andrew  M.  Eastwick  had  a  mortgage  of  S15,000  against 
the  property,  and  Colonel  Carr  and  his  wife,  being  in 
declining  years,  and  their  son  having  died,  they  were 
anxious  to  retire  from  the  nursery  business,  and  offered  to 
give  the  property  to  Eastwick  for  the  mortgage,  f 

Eastwick  had  a  fondness  for  ilge  place,  for  he  had  made 
many  a  pleasure  trip  in  his  boyhood,  by  boat,  to  Carr's  Gar- 
dens, and  he  therefore  readily  accepted  Colonel  Carr's  offer. 
Eastwick  w^as  in  early  life  a  machinist,  and  became  a  locomo- 
tive builder,  with  a  partner  named  Garrett.  He  afterwards 
associated  with  him  Joseph  Harrison,  Jr.,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  achievements  of  the  firm  was  the  designing  of  an 
eight-wheeled  freight  locomotive,  which  was  so  successful 
that  it  soon  became  the  accepted  type  for  freight  service. 
This  locomotive  attracted  the  attention  of  agents  of  the 
Emperor  Nicholas  of  Russia,  who  contracted  with  Eastwick, 
Harrison,  and  Thomas  Winans,  of  Baltimore,  to  build  and 
equip  a  railroad  from  Moscow  to  St.  Petersburg. 

At  the  time  this  offer  was  made  by  Colonel  Carr, 
Eastwick  was  home  on  a  flying  trip,  expecting  to  return  to 
Russia  within  a  week.     Desiring,  first  of  all,  to  protect  the 

*  The  library  of  the  Bartram  fomily  was  presented  to  the  Pennsylvania 
Historical  Society  by  Wm.  Middleton  Bartram.  One  hundred  books  of  John  Bartram. 
^^  illiam  Bartram,  and  others  of  the  family  thus  remain  intact.  For  an  account  of  this 
library,  see  Philadelphia  I^ublic  Ledger,  Friday,  September  11,  ISUl. 

t  Public  Ledger,  Saturday,  May  30,  1S9C,  p.  2. 


72  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

garden  and  its  valuable  collection  of  trees  for  all  time,  he 
aj)plied  to  Robert  Buist,  who  was  then  the  leading  nurser}^- 
man  of  Philadelphia,  to  engage  for  him,  within  one  week, 
some  one  who  should  combine  a  botanical  knowledge  with 
practical  horticulture  and  civil  engineering.  Buist  promised 
to  procure  such  a  man,  but  found  he  could  not  do  it  within 
the  limited  time,  and  to  keep  faith  with  Eastwick,  he 
offered  his  own  foreman,  the  now  well-known  nurseryman 
and  Select  Councilman,  Thomas  Meehan,  to  take  charge  of 
the  garden  during  the  absence  of  its  new  proprietor  in 
Russia.  This  offer  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Meehan  took 
charge  of  the  place,  remaining  there  two  years. 

About  a  year  later,  Eastwick  returned  from  Russia,  and, 
as  it  was  known  that  he  intended  to  build  a  new  residence, 
an  architect,  then  unknown  in  the  city,  ascertaining 
the  spot  where  he  proposed  to  erect  it,  drew  up,  without 
consulting  Mr.  Eastwick,  a  plan,  and  came  with  it  unasked 
to  him,  requesting  that  he  examine  it.  Eastwick,  in  a 
pleasant  and  courteous  way,  told  the  architect  that  it  was 
unnecessary  to  examine  it,  as  he  had  in  mind  several 
houses  he  had  seen  in  the  old  world,  after  some  of  which  he 
intended  to  pattern  his  owm. 

He  was  finally  induced,  however,  to  look  at  the  plan, 
and  in  an  off-hand  way  indicated  his  objections  to  it,  giving 
the  architect  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  his  ideas  to  draw 
a  more  satisfactory  one.  Within  a  week  or  two  the  archi- 
tect returned  with  a  new  plan,  which  came  so  near  to 
Eastwick's  ideal,  that  his  visitor  was  engaged  as  architect  of 
the  building,  which  was  built  by  a  well-known  Philadelphia 
builder,  John  Stewart.  It  was  sujDposed  by  every  one  that 
the  site  of  the  residence  would  be  somewhere  within  the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    riilLADELrillA.  73 

shade  of  the  rare  trees  phiiited  by  Bartrani,  but  so  great 
was  Eastwick's  desire  that  every  tree  and  shrulj  should 
be  preserved  to  posterity,  that  he  decided  to  l>uild  in  what 
was  then  an  open  cornfield. 

During  the  time  the  house  was  being  built,  the  first 
two  years  of  Eastwick's  absence  in  Russia,  his  family 
occupied  the  old  Bartram  residence,  and  so  great  was  his 
veneration  for  Bartram's  memory  and  for  everything 
belonging  to  the  great  botanist  that,  although  he  had  the 
house  thoroughly  repaired,  he  permitted  only  those  changes 
to  be  made  in  the  nature  of  so-called  improvements,  and 
the  house  is  still  in  much  the  same  condition  as  wdien 
occupied  by  John  Bartram  and  his  son  William. 

Mr.  Eastwick  was  not  permitted  to  long  enjoy  this 
beautiful  habitation,  for  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  he 
met  with  severe  financial  losses,  which  crippled  his  resources 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  maintain 
the  establishment.  During  his  lifetime,  however,  his  earnest 
thought  was  for  the  preservation  of  the  garden,  and  not- 
withstanding temptations  to  dispose  of  the  property  were 
continually  offered,  his  love  for  the  memory  of  Bartram 
was  too  great  to  permit  him  to  part  with  it. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  he  was  pressing  various 
organizations  in  the  city  to  secure  and  preserve  it.  Among 
these  was  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society,  which, 
however,  was  not  in  a  financial  position  to  accept  his  ofters. 
None  of  these  negotiations  were  successful.  Previous  to 
his  death  his  fortunes  revived  somewhat,  but  it  is  believed 
he  would  have  disposed  of  the  entire  property  if  he  could 
have  been  assured  that  the  garden  would  be  preserved. 

The  garden  was  practically  abandoned,  after  Mr.  East- 


74  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

wick's  death,  to  the  depredations  of  every  passerby.  The 
rare  herbaceous  and  woody  plants  were  uprooted  and  cut 
ruthlessly  by  local  botanists,  who  carried  away  many  rare 
plants  in  making  herbarium  specimens.  The  ground 
beneatli  the  trees,  in  1889,  was  covered  by  a  luxuriant 
growtli  of  many  kinds  of  shrubs  and  herbaceous  plants. 
The  published  accounts  in  the  newspapers,  of  the  pict- 
uresqueness  of  the  old  place,  increased  the  number  of  visitors, 
who  tramped  down  the  plants  and  walked  through  the 
shrubbery,  where  before  it  was  almost  impossible  to  pass. 
The  fields  and  meadow  land  was  rented  out  by  the  Eastwick 
heirs  for  farming  purposes,  the  farmer  occupying  the  old 
Bartram  House.  City  Councils,  through  the  energy  of  ]\Ir. 
Thomas  Meehan,  in  1889  placed  upon  the  city  plan  the 
following  small  parks :  Stenton  Park,  Bartram's  Garden, 
Weccacoe's  Square,  North  wood  and  Juniata  Parks.  "^  The 
place  was  secured  by  the  city  in  the  early  part  of  1891, 
through  the  untiring  energ}^  of  Mr.  jMeehan,  who  at  one 
time  had  charge  as  head  gardener  of  the  old  place  under 
Ui\  Eastwick. 

The  original  garden  comprised  about  five  acres,  begin- 
ning on  the  higher  ground,  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
house,  and  extended  beyond  it  toward  the  river.  All  of 
this  land  is  included  in  the  tract  of  about  twelve  acres,  pur- 
chased by  the  City  of  Philadelphia.     The  city  now  owns, 

*  An  Ordinance  to  appropriate  for  park  purposes  the  land  contained  within 
the  boundaries  of  Bartram's  Garden,  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Ward  ;  and  Juniata 
Park,  in  the  Twentj^-fifth  Ward;  and  Northwood  Park,  in  the  Twenty-third  Ward. 

Section  1,  The  Select  and  Common  Councils  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia  do 
ordain  that  the  land  within  the  boundaries  of  Bartram's  Garden,  in  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Ward,  containing  about  eleven  (U)  acres,  situated  as  follows :  Bounded  by 
Fifty-third  Street,  Eastwick  Avenue,  Fifty-fourth  Street,  and  low  water-mark  of  the 
Schuylkill  River,  excepting  the  right  of  way  of  the  Chester  Branch  of  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Reading  Railroad,  etc.,  is  hereby  appropriated  for  park  purposes,  and  the 
Mayor  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  agree,  if  possible,  with  the  owners  of  said 
land  as  to  the  price  of  the  same,  subject  to  the  approval  of  Councils. 


THE    liOTAXISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  75 

but  lias  not  yet  taken  possession  of,  land  adjoinins;  on  tl,e 
north,  and  it  has  shortly  acquired  more  of  tlie  Eastwick 
property  adjoining-  on  the  south. 

The  first  step  toward  reehiiming  the  gardens  was  taken 
October  18,  1S05,  when  Chief  Eisenhower,  Professor  Mac- 
farlane,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  John  F  Lewis 
Forester  of  Fairmount  Park,  Talcott  Williams  and  Eugene 
Elhcott  visited  the  historic  spot  with  an  eve  to  restorin<r  it 
As  a  result  of  the  visit  Cliief  Eisenhower  called  on  Provost 
Harrison,  of  the  University,  and  secured  from  Mr.  Harrison 
the  promise  of  co-operation.  The  work  of  cleaning  up  the 
place  was  begun  under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  Macfarlane, 
of  the  University,  who  did  much  toward  improving  the' 
place. 

Early  in  April,  1S96,  a  Committee  of  Citv  Councils 
reported  favorably  a  bill  to  take  the  Eastwick  tract  adjoin- 
ing Bartram  Park,  as  an  addition  to  the  Park.  The  only 
other  historical  fiict  of  interest  in  connection  with  this 
historic  place  that  need  be  mentioned  in  closing  this  account 
IS  the  fire  which  occurred  May  29,  1896. 

"  The  uppermost  floor  and  most  of  the  roof  of  the  East- 
wick Mansion,  which  is  just  south  of  Bartram's  Garden,  on 
the  Eastwick  property,  that  Councils  have  just  decided  to 
purchase  for  tlie  city,  were  destroyed.  The  damage  is  esti- 
mated at  112,000,  which  is  covered  by  insurance.* 

"The  mansion  is  a  commodious  three-storv  structure, 
containing  about  thirty-five  rooms.  There  were  three 
femilies  residing  in  the  house,  presumably  as  caretakers  of 
the  place. 

"Tlie  alarm  was  sent  in  at  8.52  o'clock,  but  before  tlie 

*  Public  Ledger,  .May  SO,  1896. 


76  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

fire  engines  could  reach  the  spot  the  flames  had  spread  over 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  roof.  The  fire  originated  at 
the  north-west  corner  of  the  building,  and  practically  the 
whole  of  the  third  story  was  destroyed.  The  firemen 
succeeded  in  keeping  the  flames  out  of  the  tower  on  the 
south-east  corner,  but  it  was  undermined  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  may  have  to  be  torn  down.  The  lower  floors  were 
saved,  but  the  ceilings  and  walls  of  the  spacious  rooms  were 
badly  damaged  by  water. 

"  Although  the  property  has  now  been  secured  by  the 
city  for  a  public  park,  to  the  satisfaction  of  everyone 
interested  in  the  early  history  of  the  city,  it  will  be  seen 
from  the  above  account  that  the  preservation  of  this  historic 
and  beautiful  garden  is  really  owing  to  the  earnest  desire 
of  Mr.  Eastwick  to  have  it  preserved  for  all  time. 

"  It  will  be  noted  that  the  burned  building  is  on  that 
portion  of  the  property  which  Select  Council  decided  to 
j)urchase  as  an  addition  to  the  part  before  taken  for  a  public 
park.  The  present  owners  entered  heartily  into  the  desire 
of  their  father  for  the  preservation  of  everything  connected 
with  Bartram,  and  had  been  anxious  for  the  city  to  own 
this  addition.  They  generously  proposed  in  the  negotia- 
tions to  leave  completely  out  of  consideration  the  house, 
looking  only  to  the  absolute  value  of  the  ground. 

"It  had  been  the  thought  of  Mr.  Eisenhower,  Chief 
Commissioner  of  City  Property,  to  use  the  Eastwick  building 
for  free  library  purposes.  In  this  sense  the  destruction  of 
the  building  may  be  considered  a  loss."* 

*  The  building  has  since  been  torn  down.  The  Bartram  Association  has 
started  (1899)  a  botanical  library  which  occupies  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  old  house. 
A  considerable  number  of  books  presented  by  the  courtesy  of  friends  repose  on  the 
book  shelves,  and  a  number  of  interesting  relics  recently  collected  also  add  much  to 
the  interest  of  the  place.  Meetings  organizing  the  memorial  library  were  held  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  on  March  23rd,  and  at  the  Pennsylvania  Historical 
Society  on  April  10, 1899. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  77 

PETER  KALM, 

Peter  Kalm,'^  a  celebrated  naturalist,  and  pupil  of 
Linn?eus,  was  a  native  of  Finland,  born  in  the  year  1715. 
Having  imbibed  a  taste  for  the  study  of  natural  history,  he 
pursued  his  inclination  with  much  zeal  and  industry.  His 
reputation  as  a  naturalist  caused  liim  to  be  appointed  pro- 
fessor at  Abo;  and  in  October,  1747,  at  the  instance  of 
Linnaeus,  he  set  out  upon  his  travels,  sailing  from  Gutten- 
burg  for  America,  where  he  arrived  the  ensuing  year. 
Having  spent  two  or  three  years  in  traveling  through 
Canada,  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  the  adjacent  prov- 
inces, he  returned  to  his  professorship  at  Abo,  in  1751.  His 
discoveries  in  botany  materially  enriched  the  Species 
Plantarum  of  his  great  master.  Professor  Kalm's  travels  in 
Americat  were  published  in  Sweden.  A  German  edition  J 
of  this  interesting  book  soon  appeared,  and  was  followed  in 
1772  by  an  English  one.  He  seems  to  have  been  remarka- 
bly credulous  ;  and,  moreover,  it  is  alleged,  took  to  himself 
the  credit  of  some  discoveries  Avhich  rightfully  belonged  to 
John  Bartram.  He  died  at  Abo,  November  1(3, 1779.  His 
name  has  become  enduringly  associated  with  a  genus  of 
most  elegant  evergreen  shrubs. 

HUMPHRY  MARSHALL. 

Humphry  Marshall  §  was  born  in  the  township  of 
West  Bradford,  county  of  Chester,  and  province  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  10th  day  of  October,  1722.  His  father, 
Abraham  Marshall,  was  a  native  of  Gratton,  in  Derbvshire, 


*  1849.    Darlington— 3/e»iori«/s  of  Bartram  and  Marshall,  367. 
tl753-6L    Is^ALyi— Ell  Resa  til  Norra  America.    Stockholm.    HI  vols..  -1S4  pp. 
I1754-fi4.      (German  edition)   Bescreibung  der  Reise  nach  dem   nOrdlichen 
Amerika  Gottingen.    3  Theile. 

§1849.    BAiiLjy^Groy:— Me morials  of  Bartram  and  Marshall,  485. 


78  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

England,  born  in  the  year   1G69,  came    to  Pennsylvania 
about  the  year  1697,  and  settled  near  Darby,  where,  on  the 
17th  of  January,  1702-3,  he  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of 
James  Hunt,  of  Kingsessing,  also  an  emigrant  from  Eng- 
land, and  one  of  the  companions  of  William  Penn.     Some 
time  after  their  marriage,  viz.,  in  the  year  1707,  Abraham 
Marshall  removed  to  the  forks  of  the  Brandywine,  near  the 
western  branch  of  that  stream,  where  he  purchased  large 
tracts  of  land  among  the  Indians,  and  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death,  which  took  place  December  17,  17(37, 
at  the  age  of  about  ninety-eight  years.     His  wife  died  in  the 
spring  of  1769,  aged  eighty-seven  years.     They  were  both 
interred  in  the  Friends'  burying  ground  at  Bradford  Meet- 
ing-house.   Of  their  nine  children,  Humphry  was  the  eighth. 
In  those  primitive  times,  the  opportunities  for   schooling 
were  scanty  and  limited.     Humphry  Marshall  used  often 
to  state  that  he  never  went  to  school  a  day  after  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age  ;  and  consequently  was  only  instructed 
in  the  rudiments  of  the  plainest  English  education.     Being 
constitutionally   robust   and  active,  he   was   employed   in 
agricultural  labors  until  he  was  old  enough  to  be  appren- 
ticed to  a  stone-mason.     This  trade  he  learned,  and  followed 
for  a  few  years,  during  the  summer  season,  extending  his 
engagements,  occasionally  into  the    county  and   town  of 
Lancaster,  and  also  into  the  neighboring  province  of  New 
Jersey.      The  winters  were  passed  at  the  residence  of  his 
father. 

That  he  was  an  excellent  workman  is  still  evident 
from  the  walls  of  his  residence  at  Marshallton,  which  he 
built  with  his  own  hands,  in  the  year  1773. 

On  the  loth  of   September,  174S,  Hum|)hry  Marshall 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  79 

was  married  to  Sarah,  daughter  af  Joseph  Pennock,  of  West 
Marlborough,  in  Chester  County.  After  his  marriage  he 
took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  near  the  west  branch  of  the 
Brandywine.  He  seems  about  this  time  to  have  turned  his 
attention  earnestly  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  evincing 
a  decided  partiality  for  astronomy  and  natural  history.  As 
an  evidence  of  his  devotion  to  literary  and  scientific  pur- 
suits, it  may  be  mentioned,  that  his  name  is  found,  written 
with  his  own  hand,  so  early  as  1753,  in  Coles's  Latin  Didion- 
ary,  Quincy's  Medical  Lexicon,  Gerard's  Herbal,  and  in  a 
Treatise  on  Navigation,  and  several  other  works  of  similar 
character,  which  he  had  procured  about  that  period. 

That  he  possessed  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citiz.ens 
is  shown  by  his  appointment  to  be  County  Treasurer,  in 
1762,  in  which  office  he  was  continued  until  the  year  17GG, 
inclusive. 

In  17G4  it  became  expedient  to  enlarge  the  dwelling  in 
which  he  resided  with  his  parents.  This  addition  was  built 
of  brick,  and  the  entire  work  of  digging  and  tempering  the 
clay,  making  and  burning  the  bricks,  and  building  the  walls, 
was  performed  by  Humphry  himself.  He  also  erected  a 
greenhouse  adjoining  the  dwelling,  which  was,  doubtless, 
the  first  conservatory  of  the  kind  ever  seen  or  thought  of 
in  Chester  Country. 

At  his  father's  death,  in  1767,  Humphry  Marshall 
came  into  full  possession  of  a  large  portion  of  the  patri- 
monial estate,  which  he  had  previously  held  as  a  tenant, 
paying  a  moderate  annual  rent.  He  now  erected  a  grist- 
mill, and  made  other  considerable  improvements  on  the 
premises,  and  continued  thereon  until  1774,  when  he 
removed  to  his  newly-erected  dwelling  on  a  tract  of  land 


80  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

which  he  had  purchased,  near  the  Bradford  Meeting-house, 
adjoining  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Marshallton. 
The  botanic  garden  was  founded  in  the  year  1773.  The 
same  year  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  established  a 
loan  office,  and  appointed  Humphry  Marshall  one  of  the 
trustees.  These  trustees  were  continued  in  office  until 
December,  1777,  when,  owing  to  difficulties  in  the  discharge 
of  their  duties — arising  out  of  the  Revolutionary  conflict — 
they  neglected  or  refused  longer  to  serve,  and  were  super- 
seded. 

In  1780  Humphry  began  to  prepare  an  account  of  the 
forest  trees  and  shrubs  of  this  country,  which  was  com- 
pleted and  printed  in  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1785,  under 
the  title  of  "Arbustrum  Americanum  :  the  American  Grove, 
or,  an  Alphabetical  Catalogue  of  Forest  Trees  and  Shrubs, 
natives  of  the  American  United  States."  It  forms  a  duo- 
decimo volume  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  pages ;  and 
is  believed  to  be  the  first  truly  indigenous  botanical  book 
published  in  this  western  hemisphere.  The  arrangement, 
being  alphabetical,  is  rather  inconvenient,  and  ill-suited  to 
investigators,  who  are  acquainted  with  the  genera.  The 
descriptions  are  in  accordance  with  the  Linna\an  system, 
and  are,  for  the  most  part,  faithful  and  satisfactory.  The 
book  is  dedicated  to  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  and  was  for  that  day, 
and  under  the  circumstances,  a  useful  and  highly  credital)le 
performance. 

On  the  29th  of  INIarch,  1785,  Humphry  Marshall  was 
elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Philadelphia  Society  for 
Promoting  Agriculture,  "  the  Society  inviting  his  assistance." 
And  in   February  of  the  following  year  he  sent  them  an 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  81 

essay  on  tlie  i importance  of  botanical  knowledge  to  the  culti- 
vators of  the  soil. 

Men  of  science  in  our  land  now  began  to  be  aware  of 
the  existence  and  meritorious  labors  of  the  unpretending 
farmer  and  gardener  of  West  Bradford  ;  and  we  learn,  from 
his  certificate,  that  on  the  20th  of  January,  1786,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1780,  Humplny  lost  liis  first  wife, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nearly  sixty-six  ^^ears,  and  on  the 
10th  of  January,  1788,  he  again  married.  This  second 
wife  was  Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas  Minshall,  of  Mid- 
dletown  (then  of  Chester),  Delaware  County.  He  had  no 
offspring  by  either  marriage. 

A  genus  of  plants,  belonging  to  the  natural  family  of 
Compositds,  was  dedicated  in  1791  by  the  botanist,  Schreber, 
to  Humphry  Marshall  and  his  nephew  ;*  for  wliich,  it  would 
seem,  they  were  partly  indebted  to  the  kind  interposition 
and  friendly  attention  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  the  correspon- 
dent of  Schreber. 

In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  Humphry's  vision  was 
greatly  impaired  by  cataract,  for  which  the  operation  of 
couching  was  performed  by  Dr.  Wistar  in  1793,  with  but 
partial  success.  It  was  proposed  to  be  repeated  in  the  year 
1800,  and  preparation,  made  with  that  view,  as  may  be 
gathered  from  some  of  Dr.  Wistar's  letters ;  but  it  was  the 
opinion  of  his  relatives  of  the  following  generation  that  the 
operation  was  not  performed.  His  sight,  however,  was 
never  so  entirely  lost,  but  that  he  could  discern  the  walks  in 
his  garden,  and  recognize  the  localities  of  his  favorite  plants. 

But    even  while    yielding  to    the  infirmities  of    age, 

*  See  page  104,  where  this  statement  is  questioned. 


82  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

he  continued  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  whatever  con- 
cerned the  welfare  and  progressive  improvement  of 
society.  Among  the  latest  manifestations  of  his  zeal,  in 
that  behalf,  may  be  mentioned  his  co-operation  with 
some  active  philanthropists  in  procuring  the  erection  of  a 
county  almshouse,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  sick  and 
infirm  poor  ;  and,  especially,  the  aid  and  counsel  he  afforded 
in  projecting  and  organizing  the  valuable  institution  for 
the  education  of  youth,  the  Westtown  Boarding  School, 
established  by  the  Society  of  Friends,  near  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

His  life,  having  been  protracted  to  a  good  old  age, 
Humphry  Marshall  finally  sank  under  an  attack  of  dysen- 
tery, on  the  5th  of  November,  1801,  aged  seventy-nine  years 
and  twenty-five  days.  His  second  wife  survived  him  nearly 
twenty-two  years,  dying  August  6,  1823,  aged  eighty-two 
years.  Humphry  and  both  his  wives  were  interred  in  tlie 
same  burial  ground  with  his  parents,  at  the  Bradford 
Meeting-house. 

In  person,  Humphry  ^larshall  was  about  the  medium 
size,  erect  and  robust,  with  features  strong,  yet  regular  ;  his 
forehead,  square  and  ample.  His  eyes  were  dark  gray  ;  his 
hair  dark,  inclining  to  sandy ;  his  mein  rather  grave  and 
reserved,  but  his  manners  inspiring  respect,  confidence  and 
esteem. 

The  Botanic  Garden,  at  Marshallton,  was  planned  and 
commenced  in  the  year  1773,  and  soon  became  the  recipient 
of  the  most  interesting  trees  and  shrubs  of  our  country, 
together  with  many  curious  exotics,  as  also  a  numerous 
collection  of  our  native  herbaceous  plants.  For  several 
years  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  ]\Iarshallton  garden, 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  83 

Humphry  had  been  much  engaged  in  collecting  native 
plants  and  seeds,  and  shipping  them  to  Europe ;  but  after 
that  event,  being  aided  by  his  nephew,  Dr.  Moses  Marshall, 
he  greatly  extended  his  operations,  and  directed  liis  attention 
to  the  business  of  exploring  and  making  known  aljroad 
the  vegetable  treasures  of  these  United  States. 

In  1849,  when  Darlington  wrote  his  "  ^lemorials  of 
Bartram  and  ]\Iarshall,"  he  stated  "  that  a  large  portion  of 
these  survive,  although  the  garden,  from  neglect,  has  become 
a  mere  wilderness ;  while  a  number  of  our  noble  forest 
trees,  such  as  oaks,  pines  and  magnolias  (especially  Magnolia 
acuminata),  all  planted  by  the  hands  of  the  venerable  founder, 
have  now  attained  to  a  majestic  altitude." 

An  editorial  in  Garden  and  Forest  *  and  an  article  in  the 
Philadelphia  Times  f  describe  the  garden  as  it  appeared  in 
1893  and  1894,  respectively.  The  house  is  still  embowered 
by  trees  planted  by  the  hands  of  the  father  of  American 
dendrology.  On  the  acre  or  two  of  ground  which  surrounds 
the  house  may  be  seen  growing  close  by  the  driveway  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  perfect  specimens  of  Quercus  hetero- 
phylla.  It  was  raised  from  an  acorn  brought  by  Marshall 
from  the  original  tree  of  this  species,  discovered  by  John 
Bartram  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  place  on  the  banks  of 
the  Schuylkill.  Not  far  away  from  this  great  oak  is  a  splen- 
did cucumber  tree.  Magnolia  acuminata,  with  a  remarkably 
thick  trunk  and  unusually  stout  branches,  and  altogether, 
one  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  this  fine  tree  that  may  be 
seen  anywhere.  These  two  trees  are  j)robably  the  most 
remarkable  of  those  planted  by  INIarshall  now  growing  in 
his  arboretum. 


*1893.     Garden  and  Forest,  vi :  461. 
t  Philadelphia  Times,  June  3,  1894. 


84  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

There  are,  however,  quite  a  number  of  hirge,  black 
birches  left,  a  tall,  long-stemmed  hackberry  of  great  size, 
some  yellow  buckeyes,  a  European  larch,  several  rhodo- 
dendrons (R.  maxima),  which  have  grown  into  trees  with 
short,  thick  stems,  and  four  or  five  very  large  and  fine 
ailanthus  trees,  which  must  have  been  among  the  first 
specimens  of  this  tree  planted  in  America.  There  are  also 
some  remarkable  box  trees,  and  until  a  short  time  ago, 
when  it  was  blown  down  in  a  severe  storm,  probably  the 
largest  cherry  tree  in  this  part  of  Pennsylvania  was  growing 
in  the  garden.  It  was  a  common  black  cherry,  but  had 
attained  an  enormous  height.  "  I  got  nearly  §70  worth  of 
good  wood  out  of  that  tree,"  said  Mr.  Lilley,  "  and  there 
w^ould  have  been  nearly  twice  that  much  if  the  tree  hadn't 
been  so  rotten  in  parts  on  account  of  its  great  age." 
There  were  indications  about  the  garden  that  many  other 
trees  had  once  grown  there,  but  had  been  felled.  Mr. 
Lilley  acknowledged  their  destruction ;  but  said  it  was 
necessary,  as  the  shade  was  too  dense.  Xot  long  ago  he  also 
had  the  thick  undergrowth  of  shrubs,  many  of  them  rare 
varieties  and  planted  by  ]\Iarshall  himself,  cleared  away 
Avhen  a  general  tidying  up  took  place. 

Humphry  Marshall's  old  house  faces  the  highway, 
but  stands  some  distance  back  from  it,  being  shut  off"  from 
the  street  by  the  gardens.  It  is  a  larger  house  than  the 
little  stone  building  of  Bartram's  on  the  Schuylkill,  and 
more  pretentious  in  many  ways,  yet  it  was  erected  by 
Marshall,  with  his  own  hands,  in  the  j^ear  1773. 

In  one  corner  of  this  dwelling  he  contrived  a  small  but 
convenient  stove,  or  hot  house,  and  immediately  above 
from  the  second  story  he  projected  a  little  observatory  in 
which  to  indulge  his  fondness  for  astronomical  observations. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  85 

An  excellent  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  Ikjusc  in  the 
beginning  of  this  century  is  to  be  had  from  tlie  illustration 
in  Darlington's  book,  the  "  ^Memorials  of  Bartrani  and 
Marshall"  (1849).  The  projecting  bay  window^  toward  the 
south-west  was  torn  down  by  the  present  owner,  because  it 
had  become  insecure,  and  the  front  of  the  house  was  walled 
up  around  a  window  newly  constructed  to  take  the  place  of 
the  wooden  observatory,  which  opened  into  the  room 
supposed  to  have  been  INIarshall's  study,  f 

The  present  owner  is  Robert  B.  Lilley,  who  purchased 
the  place  some  thirty  odd  years  ago  from  the  ^larshall  heirs. 
Mr.  Lilley,  although  he  has  allowed  the  garden  to  go  into 
decay,  has  kept  the  old  house  in  a  perfect  state  of  preserva- 
tion. It  abounds  in  curiously-shaped  rooms,  queer  cup- 
boards and  odd  closets.  In  the  kitchen  is  to  be  seen  the  old 
fire-place,  with  its  swinging  crane,  before  which  Marshall 
used  often  to  sit  on  winter  evenings  diligently  at  work, 
after  a  hard  day's  labor  on  the  farm,  on  his  book,  Arljustum 
Americanum.  X  Many  quaint  old  pieces  of  furniture  and  a 
very  handsome  antique  grandfather's  clock  are  found  in 
the  house.  The  clock  occupies  a  place  built  for  it  by 
Marshall  in  a  nook  in  wall  in  a  front  room  which  the 
botanist  occupied  as  his  sleej^ing  apartment.  In  another 
room  was  a  quaint  old  china  cupboard,  in  which  were 
several  antique  pieces  of  old-fashioned  blue  and  white 
Canton  chinaware,  very  rich  in  coloring.  A  visit  of  the 
writer  on  May  22,  1896,  confirmed  the  focts  of  the  above 
statements  written  in  1803  and  1891.  The  garden  has  l)een 
allowed  to  go  to  ruin  and  decay,  but  the  house  is  still  in  an 
excellent  state  of  preservation. 

*  This  was  still  in  existence  in  1S84,  when  R.  S.  Redfield  took  the  photograph 
reproduced  for  this  book. 

t  See  photograph  taken  by  the  author.    J  Marshall  has  it,  Arbustrum. 


86  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

WILLIAM  BARTRAM. 

AVilliam  Bartram,  the  fifth  son  of  the  botanist,  John 
Bartram,  was  born  at  Kingsessing,  Penna.,  February  9, 
1739,  inheriting  his  taste  for  botany  from  his  father.  He 
was  his  father's  companion  in  several  ])otanical  journeys, 
affording  him  much  assistance.  As  WilHam  was  never 
married,  he  continued  to  reside  in  the  old  home  with  his 
brother  John,  also  a  botanist,  to  whom  the  garden  descended 
by  his  father's  will. 

William  traveled  extensively  in  the  Southern  states, 
and  an  exhaustive  account  of  these  journeys  appeared  in  a 
book  entitled  :  "  Travels  Through  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  East  and  West  Florida,"  1791.  "^  After  his  return 
from  his  tours  he  devoted  himself  to  science,  and  in  17S2 
was  elected  professor  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
which  post  he  declined  on  account  of  failing  health. f 

So  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  he  was  the  first  botanist 
who  visited  the  southern  portion  of  the  Alleghanies.  Under 
the  auspices  of  Dr.  Fothergill,  j  to  whom  his  collections 
were  principally  sent,  William  Bartram  left  Philadelphia 
in  1773,  and  after  traveling  in  Florida  and  the  lower  part 
of  Georgia  for  three  years,  he  made  a  hurried  visit  to  the 
Cherokee  country  in  the  spring  of  1776.     On  this  trip  he 


*  1791.  W.  BARTTix^i—IYavelstJirough  North  and  iSouth  Carolina,  Georgia, 
East  and  West  Florida,  etc.,  containing  an  account  of  the  soil  and  natural  pro- 
ductions of  those  regions,  Philadelphia.  Reprinted  at  London  for  J.  Johnson, 
1794,  pp.  xxiv,  520  ind.  8  tab. 

t  For  portrait  of  Wm.  Bartram,  see  "  Poineers  of  Science  in  America," 
edited  and  revised  by  Wm.  Jay  Youmans  (Appleton)  189(3,  p.  24.  An  oil  painting  of 
Wm.  Bartram  reposes  at  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 

X  John  Fothergill  (1712-1780)  was  a  native  of  Wesleydale  in  Yorkshire,  and  a 
distinguished  physician  in  London,  where  he  lived  from  1740  till  his  death.  In  1762 
Dr.  Fothergill  planted  on  his  estate  in  Essex  a  collection  of  trees  and  shrubs,  which 
was  at  that  time  considered  one  of  the  most  important  in  England.  Silva  of 
North  America.    Sargent,  VI,  p.  16.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  XLII. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  87 

ascended  the  Seneca,  or  Keowee  River,  one  of  the  principal 
sources  of  the  Savannah,  and  crossing  the  mountains  which 
divide  its  waters  from  those  of  the  Tennessee,  he  continued 
his  journey  along  the  course  of  the  later  to  tlie  Ixjrders 
of  the  present  state  of  Tennessee.  Finding  that  liis 
explorations  could  not  safely  be  extended  in  that  neighlK)r- 
hood,  he  retraced  his  steps  to  the  Savannah  River,  proceed- 
ing thence  through  Georgia  and  Alabama  to  Mobile.  His 
w^ell-known  and  interesting  book  contains  numerous 
references  to  the  botany  of  these  regions,  with  occasional 
popular  descriptions,  and  in  a  few  cases  Latin  characters  of 
some  remarkable  plants,  as  for  example,  Myrica  inodora 
(Travels,  1791,  p.  405),  discovered  at  Appalachicola,  Fla., 
Rhododendron  pimdatam,  Stmrtia  pentagyna,  Azalea  calcn- 
dulacea,  Trautvetteria  palmata,  Magnolia  Fraseri. 

After  his  return  to  Philadelphia  he  devoted  himself  to 
science;  was  elected  professor  in  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1782,  which  post  he  declined  on  account  of 
failing  health.  He  published,  besides  his  travels,  the  most 
complete  and  correct  list  of  American  birds,  prior  to  the 
work  of  Alexander  Wilson,  who  was  greatly  assisted,  and  in 
fact  was  persuaded  by  William  Bartram,  to  undertake  that 
splendid  production,  "  The  American  Ornithology." 

The  greater  number  of  the  plates  of  Barton's  "Ele- 
ments of  Botany  "  (1803)  were  engraved  from  the  original 
drawings  of  Wm.  Bartram,  who,  although  never  married, 
found  consolation  in  the  pursuit  of  science,  his  life  being 
spent,  when  not  away  from  Philadelphia,  in  looking  after 
and  caring  for  the  many  interesting  plants  in  tlie  old 
garden  inherited  by  John  Bartram,  fil.  William  lived  with 
his  niece,  Nancy,  who  married  Col.  Robert  Carr,  until  liis 


88  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

death,  which  occurred  by  the  rupture  of  a  blood  vessel  in 
the  lungs  July  22,  1823.*  Col.  Robert  Garr  undertook  the 
care  of  the  garden,  which  was  in  most  excellent  condition, 
when  a  committee  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society 
visited  it  in  1830. 

ADAM  KUHN,  M.  D. 

Adam  Kuhn,  M.  D.,  was  1jorn  at  Germantown,  Phila- 
delphia, November  17th,  1741  old  style.  His  grandfather, 
John  Christoi^her  Kuhn,  and  his  father,  Adam  Smith  Kuhn, 
were  natives  of  Farfeld,  a  small  town  near  Heilbronn,  on 
the  Neckar,  in  the  circle  of  Swabia.  They  both  came  to 
Philadelphia  in  September,  1733.t 

Dr.  Adam  Kuhn's  first  studies  in  medicine  were  directed 
by  his  father,  until  the  autumn  of  17G1,  when  he  sailed  for 
Europe  and  arrived  at  UjDsal,  by  the  way  of  London,  in  the 
beginning  of  January,  1762,  having  traversed  Norway  and 
j)art  of  Sweden.  He  studied  medicine  and  botany  under 
Linnaeus,  and  the  other  professors  of  the  University  of 
Upsal,  until  July  or  August,  1761,  when  he  returned  to 
London,  where,  it  is  believed,  he  remained  a  twelve-month. 
The  particular  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  Lin- 
naeus will  be  sufficiently  manifested  by  the  letters  of  that 
eminent  man  addressed  to  Dr.  Kuhn,  and  published  in  the 
8th  volume  of  the  "  Eclectic  Repository."  They  will  also 
serve  to  show  his  unremitted  attention  to  his  studies. 

At  what  time  Dr.  Kuhn  went  to  Edinburgh  cannot  be 
precisely  ascertained.  He  took  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  in  that  Universitv  the  12th  dav  of  June,  1767. 


*  1849.    BAR-Lii^GToy— Memorials  of  Bartram  and  Marshall,  p.  288. 
fin  the  main  lecture  hall  of  the  ('ollege  of  Physicians,  Philadelphia,  13th  and 
Locust  Streets,  is  an  etching  of  Adam  Kuhn  hy  Albert  Rosenthal. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    riTILADELPTTTA.  89 

The  thesis  pubhshed  by  him,  "  De  Lavatione  Frigida,"  was 
dedicated  to  his  friend  and  instructor,  Linnreus.'^- 

He  visited  France,  Holland  and  Germany,  Init  wlietlier 
before  or  after  his  residence  at  Fdinburgh,  is  not  known. 

In  the  month  of  January,  17<).S,  he  returned  fi-om 
London  to  his  native  country,  and  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  quickly  rose  to  a  high  degree  of  estimation 
amongst  his  elder  medical  brethren,  and  soon  succeeded  to 
the  most  respectable  practice.  He  was  appointed  professor 
of  materia  medica  and  botany  in  the  College  of  Philadelpliia 
(now  the  University  of  Pennsylvania),  in  January,  17G8, 
and  commenced  his  first  course  of  botany  in  ^lay  following. 
He  was  probably  the  first  professor  of  botany  in  this 
country,  yet,  though  he  had  the  advantage  of  studying 
under  the  illustrious  Swede,  and  was  said  to  have  been  a 
favorite  pupil,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  did  much  for 
the  science. 

In  May,  1775,  Dr.  Kuhn  was  elected  one  of  the 
physicians  to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  which  he  attended 
until  his  resignation  in  January,  1798,  having  served  the 
institution,  Vvdth  his  usual  diligence  and  foithfulness, 
upwards  of  twenty-two  years. 

The  Philadelpliia  Dispensary,  for  the  medical  relief  of 
the  poor,  the  first  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States,  was  founded  in  17SG.  Dr.  Kuhn  was  appointed  one 
of  the  consulting  physicians,  and  ever  proved  himself  to  be 
amongst  the  foremost  of  its  steady  friends  and  })atrons. 

The  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia  was  estab- 
lished in  1787,  of  which  Dr.  Kuhn  was  always  an  active 
member.     On  the  decease  of  Dr.  AVilliam  Ship})en.  in  July, 

*  1828.     TnACKKR— American  Medical  Bingraph}/,  I,  ol'J. 


90  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

1808,  he  succeeded   him  as   president,  and  was  continued 
during  his  Hfe  in  this  distinguished  station. 

In  November,  1789,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  the 
theory  and  practice  of  medicine  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  on  the  junction  of  the  two  medical 
schools  of  the  College  and  University,  was  chosen  professor 
of  the  practice  of  physic  in  January,  1792.  In  1797  he 
resigned  his  medical  chair.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  faithful 
and  clear  in  the  description  of  diseases,  and  in  the  mode  of 
applying  their  appropriate  remedies,  mostly  avoiding 
theoretical  discussions.  His  lectures  were  eminently  cal- 
culated to  form  useful  practitioners  in  the  healing  art,  to 
the  promotion  of  which  his  whole  life  was  devoted.  Dr. 
Kuhn  w^as  also  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society. 

Of  his  writings  nothing  can  be  recollected  but  his 
thesis  and  a  short  letter  addressed  to  Dr.  John  Coakley 
Lettsom,  on  the  diseases  succeeding  the  transplantation  of 
teeth,  which  was  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
"  Memoirs  of  the  Medical  Society  of  London." 

Dr.  Kuhn  was  not  remarkable  for  the  powers  of 
imagination,  but  in  sound  judgment  he  greatly  excelled. 
His  talent  for  observation  was  profound.  He  was,  through 
life,  a  studious  reader,  a  lover  of  music  from  his  youth, 
remarkably  abstemious  and  regular  in  his  diet,  and  neat  in 
his  person.  During  a  long  and  active  attention  to  the 
duties  of  his  profession,  he  enjoyed  so  much  health  as  to 
use  his  carriage  only  in  inclement  weather.  A  most 
prominent  feature  in  his  character  was  a  strict  punctuality 
and  observance  of  all  his  engagements.  He  was  married  in 
May,  17S0,  in  the  island  of  St.  Croix,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADEU'HIA.  91 

Of  Isaac  Hartman,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons.  For 
some  time  before  his  death  liis  bodily  streiigtli  began  to 
fail,  which  induced  him,  in  the  autumn  of  1815,  to  relinquish 
his  practice,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  families  whom  he  ha.l 
attended.  A  genus,  Kuhnia,  of  compositou.s  plants  was 
named  by  Linnreus  in  honor  of  Kuhn. 

After  a  confinement  to  the  house  of  about  three  weeks, 
he  expired  .July  5,  1817,  aged  seventy-five  vears,  without 
pam,  and  fully  sensible  of  the  approaching  dissolution. 

DAVID   LANDRETH. 

David  Landreth  *  (1752-1836)  was  born  at  Brunswick 
on    the    Tweed,   the    son    of   a   Northumberland    farmer. 
Having  learned  the  trade  of  nurseryman,  he  emigrated  to 
Canada    in    1781,   removing    afterward    to    Philadelphia, 
where  in  1786,  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Cuthbert,  he 
started  the  nursery  and  seed  business,  still  carried  on  by  his 
descendants.     In  1804  or  1805  David  Landreth  ol.tained 
from  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition  seeds  of  the  Osage 
Orange,  from  which  Avas  grown  a  number  of  trees.     One  of 
these  was  planted  in  front  of  the  old  Landreth  mansion  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Landreth  Public  School, 
22nd  and  Federal  Streets.    It  was  a  pistillate  plant,  and  never 
fruited  until  fertilized  by  pollen,  brought  from  a  tree  grow- 
ing in  M'Mahon's  garden.     David  Landreth,  and  his  succes- 
sors of  the  same  name  are  not  botanists  in  the  strict  sense  of 
the  term,  although  their  knowledge  of  plant  life  is  verv 
intimate  and  precise.     Bloomsdale  form   is  an  example  of 
how  a  seed  ferm  should  be  maintained.     Situated  .m  tlie 
Delaware  River,  near  Bristol,  it  commands  the  tra<le  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia. 

•  1S.J5.    SARGENT-»ii-a„/ivro,.,A  A,nerica,  VII.  S7.    See  lilograpl.y  otR.  Ilui.s., 


92  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

GOTTHILF  H.  E.  MUHLENBERG. 

The  late  Prof.  John  M.  Maisch,  m  an  address  on 
Muhlenberg  as  a  botanist,  *  emphasized  the  frequency  with 
which  his  name  is  met  in  works  of  systematic  character  as 
that  of  an  original  describer. 

Members  of  the  Muhlenberg  family  were  conspicuous  in 
the  early  history  of  the  United  States.  Pastor  Heinrich 
Melchior  ]\Iuhlenberg,  who  came  to  Philadelphia  l)y  way  of 
Charleston,  S.  C,  in  1742,  was  the  patriarch  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  United  States.  His  eldest  son.  Pastor  Johann 
Peter  Gabriel,  was  a  major-general  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
Vice-President  of  Pennsylvania,  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  United  States,  a  United  States 
Senator,  and  a  well-known  revenue  ofhcer.  Another  son, 
Friedrich  August,  also  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  was  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  a  member  and  speaker 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  and  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives. 

Gotthilf  Heinrich  Ernst  Muhlenberg,  the  third  son  and 
the  botanist  and  scientist  of  this  distinguished  family,  was 
born  in  Xew  Providence,  ^lontgomery  County, Pa.,  Xovember 
17,  1753,  and  died  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Ma}^  23,  1815. t  He 
attended  schools  in  his  native  place  and  in  Philadelphia,  to 
which  city  his  family  removed  in  1761.  When  he  was  ten 
years  old  he  went  with  his  brothers  to  Halle,  to  finish  his 
studies  and  prepare  for  the  ministry.  After  a  visit  to 
Einbeck,  his  father's  native  place,  he  entered  a  school  in 


*  Delivered  before  the  Pioneer  Verein  of  Philadelphia,  May  6,  1886,  and 
published  in  Dr.  Fr.  Hoifman's  Pharmaceutische  Rundschau,  June,  18SG;  also 
separately.    See  Popular-  Science  Monthly,  XLV,  GS9.    Portraits. 

t  See  portrait  in  color.    A  portrait  of  him  appears  in  "  Pioneers  of  Science  in 
America,"  Edited  and  Revised  by  W.  J.  Youmans.    Appleton's,  1896,  p.  58. 


{J^tiiZ^  pi/iz!" 


AKkimJK  1'  riffi'i 


GOTTHILF  HEINRICH   ERNST   MUHLENBERG. 


THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    nilLADELPHIA.  93 

Halle,   continuing    here   for   six   years.     He    entered    tlie 
University  in  1769,  but  remained  in  attendance  only  about 
a  year.     He  returned  to  Pennsylvania  in  1770,  was  ordained 
by   the  synod    of  his   church,  and    assisted    liis    I'atlici-    in 
pastoral  work.     In  1774  he  was  called  to  a  charoe  in  Pliihi- 
delphia,  and  later,  in  1780,  to  be  pastor  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  at  Lancaster,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Mr.  Muhlenberg  wedded,  in  1774,  Catherine,  daughter  of 
Philip   Hall,  of  Philadelphia.     He  had  two  sons;    one  of 
them,  Henry  Augustus  won  a  higli,  reputation  as  clergyman, 
and  afterward  as  a  man  of  public  affiiirs.     The  other  son' 
Frederick  Augustus,  became  a  physician  at  Lancaster,  Pa. 
His  work  in  botany  began  during  his  sojourn  in  tlie 
country  following  his  flight  from  Philadelpliia.     He  pur- 
sued the  science  earnestly  after  his  return  to  the  city,  and 
became  intensely  interested  in  the  less  conspicuous  flowering 
plants  and  cryptogams. 

It  was  not  long  before  Muhlenberg  entered  into  corres- 
pondence with  other  botanists.  Dr.  Johann  David  Schopf, 
a  Hessian,  stationed  in  New  York  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  who  traveled  through  the  Eastern  states  to  Florida, 
after  the  conclusion  of  peace,  in  search  of  medicinal  plants, 
became  acquainted  with  Muhlenberg,  and  was  aided  by 
him.  After  his  return  to  Germany  he  was  the  occasion  of 
a  correspondence  between  jNIuhlenberg  and  Prof  Sclireber, 
of  Erlangen.  Later,  Muhlenberg  corresponded  with  other 
eminent  botanists  in  Germany,  England,  France  and 
Sweden,  as  well  as  with  Americans. 

Like   a    true   naturalist,    Muldenberg    exercised     the 
greatest  care  and  thoroughness  in  observation  and  researcli. 


94  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

He  was  able  to  inform  Dr.  Cutler,  in  the  spring  of  1791,  that 
he  had  collected  more  than  eleven  hundred  different  plants 
within  a  radius  of  three  miles  of  Lancaster.  In  a  letter 
dated  November  8,  1791,  he  wrote :  "  I  am  collecting,  as  far 
as  possible,  all  I  can  learn  concerning  the  medicinal  and 
economic  uses  of  our  plants  and  am  writing  it  down.  If 
the  medicinal  application  seems  to  be  sufficiently  confirmed 
from  different  sides,  and  agrees  with  the  character  of  the 
plant,  I  either  try  it  on  myself  or  commend  it  to  my  friends. 
I  raise  most  of  the  grasses  in  my  garden,  and  experiment 
how  often  they  can  be  cut,  and  whether  they  are  readily 
eaten  by  horses  or  cattle."  An  exchange  was  made  with 
Prof.  Schreber,  of  American  plants  for  foreign  grasses ;  and, 
besides  mosses,  grasses  of  New  England  were  obtained 
from  Dr.  Cutler,  especially  such  as  grew  near  the  sea. 

^luhlenberg  furnished  Dr.  Schopf  with  notes  on  the 
medicinal  properties  of  plants,  some  of  these  for  use  in  his 
contemplated  work  on  American  ^lateria  INIedica.  When  that 
work  was  published  in  1787,  the  author  most  ungratefully 
omitted  to  mention  his  indebtedness  to  Muhlenberg. 
Similarly,  when  Muhlenberg  first  saw  a  copy  of  Bigelow's 
"  Medical  Botany,"  he  could  not  help  remarking  after  look- 
ing through  it :  "  This  gentleman  has  appropriated  to  him- 
self all  my  explanations,  without  making  any  acknowledg- 
ments." 

^Muhlenberg  presented  to  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  in  July,  1785,  an  outline  of  a  "  Flora  Lancastriensis," 
containing  the  results  of  his  observations  on  plants  and 
their  habits,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  manuscript  calendar  of 
flowers.  In  February,  1791,  he  communicated  his  "  Index 
Flora  Lancastriensis."     This  is  arranged  according  to  the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  95 

artificial  system  of  Linnaeus,  and  contains  four  hundred 
and  fifty-four  genera,  witli  nearly  eleven  liundred  species, 
including  both  feral  and  cultivated  plants.  A  supplement 
to  this  Index,  which  appeared  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,"  in  September,  179G,  con- 
tained forty-four  additional  genera,  with  sixty-two  species 
of  phanerogams,  of  which  nine  were  unknown  species  ot 
grasses,  while  the  cryptogams  were  represented  by  22G  addi- 
tional species,  belonging  to  29  genera. 

In  1809  Muhlenberg  decided  to  write  a  catalogue  of 
the  then  known  native  and  naturalized  plants  of  North 
America.* 

Muhlenberg  conscientiously  referred  to  the  books  wliich 
he  had  used  in  the  determination  of  his  collected  plants, 
and  gave  credit  to  correspondents  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States,  who  had  assisted  him  in  his  researches  by 
sending  plants  or  seeds.  He  also  made,  at  the  same  time, 
a  complete  description  of  the  plants  growing  around  Lan- 
caster, and  likewise  a  complete  description  of  all  other  North 
American  plants,  which  he  had  himself  seen  and  arranged 
in  his  herbarium.   Unfortunately,  they  were  never  published. 

A  part  of  these  works,  dealing  with  the  grasses,  was 
printed  in  1817,  two  years  after  the  author's  death,  under 
the  title,  "  Descriptio  uberior  Graminum."  f  The  manuscript 
of  it  was  presented  by  Zaccheus  Collins,  a  friend  of  Muhlen- 
berg, to  the  American  Philosophical  Society  in  1831. 


*  CaLalogus  Plantarum  Americce  Sejitenlrioualis  hue  usque  Counitarum 
Indigenarum  et  Cicurum ;  or.  a  Catalogue  of  the  Hitherto  Known  Xative  and  Xatu- 
ralized  Plants  of  North  America,  arranged  according  to  the  Sexual  St/stem  of 
Linnceus.  By  Henry  Muhlenberg,  D.  D..  Minister  at  Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania,  Lan- 
caster.   William  Hamilton.  1813,  octavo  pp.  iv,  112. 

■f  Descriptio  Uberior  Graminum  et  IHantarum  Calamiariim  America'  Septen- 
trionalis  Indigenarum  et  Cicurum.  Auctore  Dr.  Henrico  Muhlenberg.  Philadelphia. 
Solomon  W.  Conrad,  1S17,  octavo  pp.  ii,  2i)o. 


96  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Muhlenberg's  valuable  herbarium  was  bought  by  a 
number  of  his  friends  for  a  little  more  than  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  was  presented  to  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  in  February,  1818.  It  was  then  in  good  condition, 
but  has,  unfortunately,  being  allowed  to  suffer  from  neglect 
until  it  is  no  longer  of  any  value. 

His  services  to  science  have  been  well  recognized  by 
botanists.  A  golden  rod  was  given  by  Torrey  and  Gray  the 
name  Solidago  Muhlenhergii ;  a  small  willow  was  denomi- 
nated by  Barratt  Salkc  Muhlenbergiana ;  Grisebach  named  a 
centaury  Erythrsea  Muhlenhergii ;  Gray  gave  the  name  Muh- 
lenbergii  to  a  species  of  reed  or  sedge,  and  Schreber  the  name 
Muhlenhergia  to  a  genus  of  grasses.  Two  mosses  of  the 
genera  Phascum  and  Fmiaria  were  named  in  honor  of  Muh- 
lenberg by  Schwartz ;  two  lichens  of  the  genera  Umbilicaria 
and  Gyropliora  by  Acharius ;  and,  by  Elliott,  a  fungus  of 
the  genus  Dothidea. 

About  half  of  the  plant  names,  given  by  Muhlenberg, 
which  are  now  recognized,  belong  to  the  plants  of  the 
natural  orders,  Cyperacess  and  Gramine^,  in  the  study  of 
which  he  was  supported  by  Schreber. 

This  review  of  Muhlenberg's  botanical  work  would  not 
be  complete  without  special  reference  to  his  scientific  cor- 
respondence, his  personal  intercourse  with  naturalists,  and 
degrees  conferred.  Among  his  foreign  correspondents  were 
Dillenius,  Hedwig,  Hoffmann,  Persoon,  Pursh,  Smith, 
Schopf,  Schreber,  Sturm,  Willdenow,  William  Alton,  Batsch, 
Palisot  de  Beauvais,  Schkuhr,  Heinrich  Adolph  Schrader, 
of  Gottingen ;  Kurt  Sprengel  at  Halle,  and  Prof  Olof 
Schwartz,  one  of  Limifeus's  most  eminent  pupils.  Muhlen- 
berg also  had  as  home  correspondents  Rev.  Christian  Deiike, 
of  Nazareth,    Pa. ;    the   Rev.   Samuel   Kramph,   of    North 


TPIE    BOTANISTS    OF    rillLADELPHIA.  9/ 

Carolina ;  the  Moravian  bishop,  Jacob  Xiin  Vleck,  and  Dr. 
Christian  Miiller,  of  Harmony,  Pa.  One  of  his  most  vakied 
correspondents  was  Dr.  Baldwin,  of  South  Carolina,  and  their 
correspondence  has  been  published  by  William  Darlington 
in  a  book  entitled  ReUquiie  BaldwiniancT.'^  He  entertained 
largely  at  his  home  at  Lancaster.  Alexander  von  Humboldt 
and  Aime  Bonpland  sought  him  there  on  their  return  from 
their  long  journey  in  Spanish  America. 

The  University  of  Pennsylvania  conferred  on  him  the 
degree  of  Master  of  xlrts  in  1780,  and  Princeton  College  that  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1787.  He  was  made  a  member  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  on  January  22,  1785.  He 
received  diplomas  and  awards  from  the  Imperial  Academy 
of  Erlangen,  1791 ;  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Natural 
History,  Berlin,  1798;  the  Westphalian  Natural  History 
Society,  1798 ;  the  Phytographic  Society  of  Gottingen, 
1802;  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 
1814;  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  the  Useful  Arts, 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  1815 ;  the  Physiographical  Society  of  Lund, 
Sweden,  1815  ;  and  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  April 
12, 1815,  not  cjuite  six  weeks  before  his  death,  at  Lancaster, 
May  23,  1815. 

MOSES    MARSHALL. 

Moses  INIarshall,  t  son  of  James  Marshall  (the  younger 
brother  of  Humphry),  was  born  in  West  Bradford,  Chester 
County,  on  the  30th  of  November,  1758.  After  receiving  a 
tolerable  education,  both  English  and   classical,  he  studied 


*  1843.  DxRlA^GToyi—Reliquue  Baldwinianxe.  Philadelphia.  Kimber  et 
Sharpless,  pp.  346,  effigies  Baldwini. 

t  This  sketch  was  written  by  Dr.  Wm.  T.  Sharpless,  West  Chester  Dailu  Xtu-s, 
Nov.  22,  1S95. 


98  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

medicine  with  Dr.  Nicholas  Way  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  from 
1776  to  1779.  He  had  an  extraordinary  opportunity  of  being 
initiated  into  surgery  in  attending  the  soldiers  who  were 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  September  11,  1777. 
After  practicing  medicine  a  short  time,  he  seems  to  have 
become  an  inmate  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  Humphry, 
devoting  his  time  and  services  exclusively  as  an  aid  to  his 
uncle  in  the  business  of  collecting  and  shipping  plants  and 
seeds  to  Europe.  He  made  several  long  exploring  journeys 
in  that  pursuit  through  the  wilds  of  the  West  and  South- 
west. He  was  a  good,  practical  botanist,  well  acquainted 
with  most  of  our  indigenous  plants,  and  rendered  valuable 
assistance  to  his  uncle  in  preparing  the  Arbustum  Ameri- 
canum.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1796,  Governor  Mifflin 
appointed  him  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  in  which  office  he  did 
excellent  service  as  a  peace-maker  in  the  community 
around  him.  In  all  his  acts  he  was  a  remarkably  cautious, 
upright,  conscientious  man.  Dr.  Marshall  discontinued  the 
business  of  sending  seeds  and  plants  to  Europe  soon  after 
his  uncle's  death,  and  the  garden,  in  consequence,  was 
almost  wholly  neglected.  Dr.  Marshall  died  on  the  first  of 
October,  1813,  aged  fifty-four  years  and  ten  months. 

He  was  the  son  of  James  and  Sarah  Marshall,  and 
the  grandson  of  Abram  Marshall,  who  came  from  Gratton, 
in  Derbyshire,  England,  to  Darby,  Delaware  County, 
about  the  year  1697.  A  few  years  later  he  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Brandywine, 
near  the  forks  (part  of  which  is  now  occupied  by 
Abram  Marshall,  a  descendant),  where  he  died  in  1767. 
Abram  Marshall  married  ^lary  Hunt,  whose  sister, 
Elizabeth  Hunt,  married  William  Bartram,  so  that  their 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  99 

son,  John  Bartram,  the  first  American  botanist,  was  a  first 
cousin  of  the  Chester  County  botanist,  Humphry  Marshall, 
and  of  James  Marshall,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

The  first  authentic  record  we  have  of  Dr.  Marshall  is 
the  following  document : 

"  Memorandum  of  an  agreement  made  and  concluded 
upon  between  James  Marshall,  of  Chester  County,  and  Dr. 
Nicholas  Way,  of  Wilmington,  in  the  County  of  New 
Castle,  as  followeth,  viz. :  The  said  Dr.  Way  undertaketh  to 
instruct  Moses  Marshall,  the  son  of  the  said  James,  in  the 
art  of  physick,  according  to  the  best  of  his  understanding, 
for  the  space  of  two  years,  which  time  the  said  Marshall 
is  to  abide  with  him  and  his  wife.  He  is  to  find  and  allow 
him  sufficient  meat,  drink  and  lodging  during  said  term. 
And  in  consideration  thereof  the  said  Marshall  is  to  give 
the  sum  of  seventy-five  pounds,  the  one-half  now  and  the 
other  half  in  one  year  from  this  date.  Witness  of  our 
hands  the  first  day  of  November,  1776." 

Dr.  Nicholas  Way,  who  thus  became  the  preceptor 
of  Moses  Marshall,  had  been  settled  in  Wilmington  for 
some  time,  having  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Medicine  in  the  first  class  that  graduated  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and,  in 
fact,  the  first  class  that  graduated  in  medicine  in  this 
country,  in  1768 ;  and  in  1771  he  received  the  further  degree 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  At  the  same  time  a  cousin  of  Moses 
Marshall,  Abram  Baily,  also  from  Marshallton,  was  a  pupil 
with  Dr.  Way. 

Moses  Marshall  never  received  any  medical  degree, 
none   beins;  at  that  time,  or  for  nearlv  a  hundred  vears 


100  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

afterward,  required  in  order  to  practice  medicine  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  first  to  receive  such  a  degree,  wlio  settled  in 
Chester  County,  was  Dr.  Darlington,  in  1804.  But  it  was 
customary  after  serving  two  or  more  years  as  an  apprentice 
in  a  doctor's  office  to  attend  one  or  two  courses  of  lectures 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Accordingly,  we  find 
that  the  advice  of  Dr.  Thomas  Parke  was  asked  relative  to 
Moses  Marshall  spending  the  winter  in  Philadelphia  for 
this  purpose.  Dr.  Parke  w^as  a  native  of  Chester  County, 
had  taken  his  medical  degree  at  Edinburgh,  had  an  exten- 
sive practice  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  one  of  the  physicians 
to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  He  advised  him  to  attend 
the  lectures,  especially  those  on  anatomy,  by  Dr.  William 
Shippen,  and  those  on  chemistry,  by  Dr.  Rush.  The  winter 
of  1779  and  1780  was  spent  in  this  manner,  and  his  diary 
covering  the  period  has  been  preserved.  The  entries  are 
short  and  relate  mostly  to  his  own  doings,  though  he 
occasionally  gives  us  some  comment  on  the  times.  There 
is  nothing  to  indicate  that  he  realized  that  in  sitting  under 
the  teaching  of  Dr.  Rush  he  was  brought  into  almost  daily 
contact  with  the  most  dignified  and  exalted  character  that 
has  graced  the  annals  of  American  medicine. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  some  entries  in  Moses  Mar- 
shall's diary  at  this  time  indicate  that  his  time  was  not 
exclusively  devoted  to  medical  studies  and  scientific  work, 
for  a  certain  Polly  Howell  receives  more  frequent  mention 
than  does  the  immortal  Rush,  and  Sally  Samson,  who 
"  behaved  for  three  evenings,  especially  the  last,  in  a  most 
engaging  manner,"  evidently  occupies  his  thoughts  more 
than  hospital  clinics  or  work  in  Parke's  shop. 

He  then  returned  to  Marshallton,  and  after  staying  at 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rillLADELPirTA.  101 

his  father's,  domg  nothing  of  account  for  a  year,  and  spend- 
ing another  year  keeping  a  sort  of  apothecary  shop  in 
Wihnington,  which,  he  says,  "  came  to  nothing  and  less," 
that  in  the  spring  of  1782  he  "  came  up  into  the  country 
and  inoculated  for  the  small-pox  about  Londongrove, 
making  his  home  at  Samuel  Sharp's,  and  afterward  about 
Kennett  with  Dr.  Pierce,  making  a  home  there."  After 
inoculation  w^as  over,  in  the  spring  of  1782,  he  stayed 
at  his  father's,  professing  to  practice  medicine,  but  really 
doing  very  little,  if  we  may  judge  from  his  diary, 
until  4th  month  27th,  1781,  when  he  became  an  inmate  ot 
the  family  of  his  uncle  Humphry.     The  years  of  1782  and 

1783  appear  to  have  been  unprofitably  spent,  and  his  diary 
indicates  that  at  that  time  he  was  drifting  into  idle  com- 
pany and  questionable  habits. 

Having  laid  aside  his  youthful  follies,  and  having 
found  occupation  that  w^as  agreeable  and  suited  to  his 
talents,  w^e  enter  upon  the  period  of  his  scientific  work  from 

1784  to  1801. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  when  Dr.  Marshall  l)egan 
the  study  of  botany.  His  intimacy  with  his  uncle  Humphry 
and  a  few  entries  in  his  diary  suggest  that  he  had  made  a 
beginning  before  he  entered  his  uncle's  family,  and  in  1786 
the  latter,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  the  President 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  London,  solicits  employment  for 
Dr.  jMarshall,  and  suggests  that  if  the  society  should  want 
any  one  on  this  side  the  water  to  explore  our  western 
region  in  search  of  botanical  specimens,  fossils,  minerals  or 
inflammables,  that  Dr.  ^larshall  would  be  willing  to  serve 
them,  and  states  that  he  is  "well  versed  in  the  knowledge 
of  botan}^" 


102  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Humphry  Marshall  also  writes  to  Benjamin  Franklin 
in  1785,  and  suggests  that  his  cousin,  William  Bartram,  and 
his  nephew,  Dr.  Marshall,  would  be  willing  to  explore  the 
w^estern  part  of  the  United  States  if  they  should  meet  with 
proper  encouragement,  and  thinks  that  the  Philosophical 
Society,  or  possibly  Congress,  would  give  them  substantial 
support.  This  appears  to  have  been  the  work  that  the  elder 
Marshall  had  mapped  out  for  him,  and  it  is  evident  that 
Dr.  Marshall  was  favorable  to  such  an  undertaking,  for  in 
1778  he  writes  to  Dr.  Lettsom  :  "  I  have,  indeed,  had  a  design 
highly  favorable  to  discoveries  in  view — a  journey  to  the 
Mississippi  westward,  but  have  not  yet  been  at  leisure  to 
prosecute  it." 

He  had,  already,  in  1784,  taken  his  first  trip  in  search 
of  seeds  and  botanical  specimens.  This  was  almost 
immediately  after  entering  the  family  of  his  uncle,  and 
consisted  in  going  to  Pittsburg  with  the  wagons  and  return- 
ing by  the  same  route.  He  writes  from  Bedford  to  his 
uncle  :  "  We  have  been  among  the  pine  mountains,  where 
we  have  seen  cucumber  trees,  rhododendrons,  mountain 
raspberries,  and  yesterday  about  Juniata  the  broad  willow- 
leaved  oak  and  the  red-berried  elder.  In  coming  along  I 
have  seen  many  strange  plants,  but  may  be  chiefly  varieties 
of  what  we  have  already.  However,  I  shall  gather  what 
seed  I  can  of  any  such  or  bring  the  plants."  He  kept  a 
journal  of  the  trip,  which  has  been  preserved.  He  also 
speaks  of  having  seen  the  horse-chestnut  and  of  getting 
specimens  to  bring  home. 

In  1786  Sir  Joseph  Banks  wrote  to  Humphry  Mar- 
shall asking  for  a  hundred  weight  of  the  fresh  roots  of  the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKLIMIIA.  103 

ginseng,  on  the  curing  of  which  he  wished  to  try  some 
experiments.  The  procuring  of  the  roots  was  undertaken 
by  Dr.  Marshall.  It  occupied  about  twenty  days,  and 
necessitated  his  going  into  the  Alleghanies  for  them.  He 
returned  with  about  a  hundred  weight  of  ginseng  roots, 
and  charged  for  them  an  English  crown  a  pound. 

Dr.  Marshall  soon  began  a  correspondence  with  scien- 
tific men  in  Great  Britain  and  Europe  on  his  own  account^ 
especially  with  Dr.  Lettsom,  of  London.  In  these  letters  he 
sends  descriptions  of  new  or  rare  plants  that  he  has  found, 
and  occasionally  ventures  to  suggest  a  name.  One  of  these 
descriptions  (that  of  the  Taliniim  tereti folium)  is  especially 
praised  by  Dr.  Darlington,  who  says  that  it  was  written 
long  before  the  plant  was  generally  known  to  the  1)otanists 
or  published  in  the  books,  and  adds  that  "  from  diffidence  or 
want  of  opportunity  to  publish  many  of  the  discoveries, 
much  of  the  credit  really  due  to  Bartram,  Marshall,  and 
Muhlenberg,  has  been  ascribed  to  or  appropriated  by  Euro- 
pean botanists." 

About  this  time  we  find  Dr.  Marshall  in  correspondence 
with  Rev.  Henry  Muhlenberg,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.  It  was 
due  to  the  influence  of  this  distingushed  botanist  that 
Marshallia,  a  genus  of  plants  of  which  there  are  several 
species  in  the  South,  was  named  in  honor  of  Moses  Mar- 
shall, as  the  following  correspondence  will  show.  The  first 
letter  is  from  Muhlenberg  to  Dr.  ^Marshall : 

"  Dear  Sir : — I  beg  leave  to  inform  you  that  the  new 
edition  of  the  Genera  Linnaei  is  safely  arrived.  I  am 
happy  to  see  that  the  editor,  my  friend.  Dr.  Schreber,  has 
done  what  I  requested  of  him.     He  has  given  your  name 


104  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

to  a  hitherto  undescribecl  plant  that  belongs  to  the  Syn- 
genesia,  which  he  names  the  Marshallia.  Give  my  best 
respects  to  your  uncle,  Mr.  Humphry  Marshall,  and  believe 
me,  with  great  esteem,  sir, 

"  Your  humble  servant, 

"  Henry  Muhlenberg." 

In  the  collection  of  the  Marshall  papers  in  the  pos- 
session of  Gilbert  Cope,  I  have  found  the  following  copy  of 
the  reply  to  this  note  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  ^Marshall : 

"  AVest  Bradford,  April  13,  1792. 
''  Reverend  Sir  : — I  have  just  received  yours  of  the  9th 
instant,  and  am  much  pleased  to  hear  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Genera  Plantarum.  I  am  very  sensible  of  the  honor  done 
me,  through  your  request,  by  Dr.  Schreber,  and  think 
myself  but  too  undeserving.  I  shall  be  pleased  in  your 
calling  on  your  intended  journey,  and  hope  you  will 
consider  my  uncle's  house  as  a  welcome  stage.  I  am,  with 
all  due  respect, 

"  Your  much  obliged  friend, 

"  Moses  Marshall." 

I  have  given  this  correspondence  complete,  as,  in  the 
list  of  plants  named  for  Chester  County  botanists,  prepared 
by  Dr.  Darlington  in  1857,  we  find  the  following  statement : 

"The  genus  Marshallia  was  so  named  in  1791  by  Dr. 
Schreber,  in  honor  of  Humphry  ]\Iarshall,  of  West  Brad- 
ford Township." 

In  another  place  Dr.  Darlington  says  that  tlie  plant 
was  named  for  Humphry  ]Marshall  and  his  nephew,  yet  the 
above  correspondence  indicates  that  Moses  Marshall  alone 
was  recognized  by  Schreber  and  ]\Iuhlenberg  in  the 
transaction. 


THE    BOTAXISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  105 

Dr.  Marshall's  correspondents  appear  chiefly  to  liave 
been  Descemet,  of  Paris ;  John  Reichert,  of  Belvidere ; 
Grimwood,  Hudson,  Barrett  and  Dr.  Lettsom,  of  London ; 
Richard  Barnett,  of  Dublin;  Tliomas  Russell,  of  Mi<l<ll('- 
town,  Connecticut,  and  Joseph  Watson,  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  The  last  supplied  him  with  many  southern 
plants  for  shipment  abroad.  In  addition  to  plants,  he 
shipped  other  natural  objects,  as  shells,  live  tortoises,  frogs, 
birds'  eggs,  etc. 

His  letters  speak  of  many  trips  of  which  the  journal 
has  not  been  preserved.  On  one  of  these  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burg, then  south  through  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  then 
over  the  mountains  into  South  Carolina  to  Charleston. 
From  thence  he  proceeded  into  the  western  part  of  Georgia 
and  returned  to  Charleston,  and  thence  by  water  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  says :  "  Notwithstanding  the  great  fatigue, 
danger  and  expense  in  traveling,  I  have  in  contemplation 
a  second  and  more  extensive  route." 

We  have  seen  that  Humphry  Marshall  was  interested 
in  having  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  explored  in 
search  of  plants  and  other  specimens  of  scientific  interest, 
and  that  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Franklin  and  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
stating  that  his  nephew  was  willing  to  undertake  such  a 
trip.  We  also  knoAV  that  for  at  least  fifteen  years  before  the 
Lewis  and  Clarke  expeditions  started  for  this  purpose,  that 
Thomas  Jefferson  was  active  in  endeavoring  to  procure  a 
suitable  person  to  lead  such  an  expedition,  and  to  raise  the 
funds  to  defray  his  expenses.  The  following  letters  from 
Dr.  Caspar  Wistar,  of  Philadelphia,  are  of  much  interest  in 
this  connection.  Li  a  postscript  to  a  letter  to  Humphiy 
Marshall,  dated  "Slay  27,  1702,  Dr.  Wistar  incpiires  :  "  Has 


106  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Marshall  any  inclination  to  explore  the  country  west  of 
the  Mississippi  ?  If  so,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  him  when  he 
comes  to  town."  And  on  June  20th  he  writes  to  Dr. 
Marshall  : 

"  Respected  Friend  : — By  a  conversation  with  thy  uncle, 
I  find  that  thee  is  already  acquainted  with  the  wishes  of 
some  gentlemen  here  to  have  our  continent  explored  in  a 
western  direction.  My  reason  for  writing  at  present  is  to 
inform  thee  of  the  present  state  of  the  business.  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  several  other  gentlemen  are  much  interested, 
and  think  they  can  procure  a  subscription  sufficient  to 
insure  one  thousand  guineas  as  a  compensation  to  any  one 
who  undertakes  the  journey  and  can  bring  satisfactory 
proof  of  having  crossed  to  the  South  Sea.  They  wish  the 
journey  to  be  prosecuted  up  the  Missouri,  as  the  easiest  and 
perhaps  the  most  interesting  track.  ^  ^  ^  n  thee  has 
any  inclination,  I  think  it  would  be  very  proper  to  come  to 
town  immediately  and  converse  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  who 
seems  principally  interested.  I  am  confident  that  no  small 
matter  will  stop  them  if  thee  is  disposed  to  engage  in  the 
business.  At  any  rate,  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  thee  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  am,  with  respect  for  thy  uncle 
and  thyself, 

"  Thy  assured  friend, 

'*  Caspar  Wistar,  Jr." 

James  Monaghan  suggests  that  this  letter  indicates 
that  Dr.  Wistar,  at  least,  considered  Dr.  Marshall  a  suitable 
person  to  lead  the  expedition,  which  afterward  became 
known  to  history  as  that  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  there 
seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  case.  In  1803  the 
expedition  under  Lewis  and  Clarke  set  out,  and  proceeded 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKLI'III A.  1  07 

by  the  same  route  up  the  Missouri,  as  was  suggested  in 
Dr.  AVistar's  letter. 

His  attention  was  diverted  from  Ijotany  l»y  liis 
appointment  to  be  Justice  of  the  Peace,  in  179G.  The  list  of 
cases  tried  before  him  and  of  the  marriages  at  which  he  offi- 
ciated, have  been  preserved,  and  show  the  business  of  the  office 
to  have  been  considerable.  He  held  this  office  until  his  death. 
That  he  did  not  at  once  discontinue  the  business  of  ship]:)ing 
seeds  is  shown  by  a  letter  to  Thomas  Russell,  of  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  in  1797  :  "  I  may  observe  that  the  present 
convulsed  state  of  European  affairs,  with  the  uncertainty  of 
safe  transportation,  has  given  a  considerable  check  to 
business  of  this  kind.  However,  a  few  plants  of  the  foll(jw- 
ing  kinds  may  be  procured.  The  average  price  of  a  general 
collection  may  be  about  ten  cents  per  root." 

Humphry  Marshall  died  in  1801,  and  on  his  death 
a  considerable  j^art  of  his  farm  west  of  the  Brandywine 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  jNIarshall.  He  made  use  of 
the  water-power  in  the  Brandywine,  and  erected  a  stone  mill 
and  dwelling  house.  The  house  is  still  standing.  The  mill 
was  burned  a  few  years  ago.  The  village  of  Xorthbrook, 
which  was  formerly  known  as  Marshall's  Mill,  stands  on 
land  once  owned  by  Dr.  Marshall,  and  much  is  still  owned 
by  his  grandson.  Dr.  Edward  Marshall. 

After  Humphry  Marshall's  death  his  nephew  seems  to 
have  discontinued  his  former  business,  as  well  as  his 
scientific  work.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  records  of 
this  period,  except  some  accounts  which  refer  to  his  milling 
business,  and  are  of  no  particular  interest  to  us.  He  was 
married  about  1797  to  Alice  Pennock.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, who  have  left  a  numerous  progeny,  most  of  whom  live 
in  Chester  Countv.     He  died  in  1S13. 


108  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

CASPAR  WISTAR,  M.  D. 

Caspar  Wistar,  M.  D.,  "^  a  skillful  physician,  and  learned 
professor  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  President  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society,  was  born  in  1760.  He 
died  on  the  22nd  of  January,  1818.  In  the  same  year  a 
genus  of  leguminous  plants,  Wistaria,  was  dedicated  to  his 
memory  by  Mr.  Xuttall.f 

BENJA/VIIN  SMITH   BARTON. 

Benjamin  Smith  Barton,  J  one  of  the  younger  children 
of  the  the  Rev.  Thomas  Barton,  an  Episcopal  clergyman, 
was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  February  10,  1776.  His 
mother,  being  a  sister  of  David  Rittenhouse,  the  astronomer, 
he  received  a  double  inheritance  of  intellectual  ability,  but 
the  benefits  of  parental  care  and  training  were  lost  to  him 
at  an  early  age.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  eight  years 
old,  and  his  father  died  when  he  was  fourteen. 

Mr.  Barton,  before  his  death,  intending  to  go  to  Europe, 
had  placed  his  younger  children  in  the  care  of  a  friend  in 
the  country,  where  they  remained  until  after  their  father's 
death.  During  this  period  the  young  boy  devoted  much  of 
his  time  to  reading,  having  a  fondness  for  civil  history. 
His  interest  in  natural  history,  especially  in  botany, 
appeared  early,  and  very  likely  had  received  some  encourage- 
ment from  his  father,  who  is  known  to  have  been  a  student 
of  nature. 


*  For  sketch  and  life  see  1849.  Darlington— ilfe7)iorm^«  of  Bartram  and 
Marshall,  568.  Also  The  Gardener's  Monthly,  (Meehan)  II :  360.  An  oil  painting  of 
Dr.  Wistaris  found  in  the  College  of  Physicians,  13th  and  Locust  Streets,  Philadelphia, 
presented  by  Mrs.  Mifflin  Wistar.    Also  one  at  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

t  For  a  discussion  as  to  whether  the  spelling  should  be  Wisteria,  or  Wistaria, 
see  Meehan's  Monthly,  VIII:  47,  iii. 

X  Popular  Science  Monthly,  April,  1896.  The  main  facts  given  in  this  sketch 
are  derived  from  that  journal.  The  portrait  reproduced  in  that  journal,  p.  167,  is 
from  an  engraving  in  his  biography,  by  W.  P.  C.  Barton.  A  portrait  is  also  to  be 
found  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rillLADKLPlIlA .  1  ( )<  > 

111  1780  Benjamin,  with  one  of  his  brother.s,  was  i)hice(l 
in  an  academy  at  York,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  nearly  two 
years,  pnrsuing  a  chissical  conrse.  His  ekler  Ijrotlit'r,  who 
was  Hving  in  Phihidelphia,  took  liim  into  his  family  wIkii 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  where  he  remained  about  four 
years.  During  this  time  he  attended,  for  a  short  period,  the 
College  of  Philadelphia,  and  afterward  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine  under  Dr.  William  Shippen. 

In  the  summer  of  1785  he  accompanied  the  connnission, 
of  which  his  uncle,  Mr.  Rittenhouse,  was  a  member,  in 
marking  the  western  boundary  line  of  Pennsylvania. 
Young  Barton  was  absent  from  Philadelphia  five  months, 
and  it  was  on  this  expedition  that  he  made  acquaintance 
with  the  Indians,  and  began  his  study  of  their  medicines 
and  pathology,  their  customs  and  history,  which  interested 
him  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Young  Barton,  in  order  to  obtain  a  thorough  medical 
training,  went  to  Edinburgh  in  the  autumn  of  1786,  where 
he  studied  for  two  years,  wdtli  the  exception  of  a  few  months 
spent  in  London.  Having  become  a  member  of  the  Koyal 
Medical  Society  at  Edinburgh,  he  was  given  the  Harv^aan 
prize  of  that  association  for  a  thesis  on  the  Hyoscijamus 
7iiger  of  Linnaeus.  Barton's  first  book  was  published  in  1787. 
It  was  a  booklet  entitled,  ^'  Observations  on  some  Parts  of 
Natural  History :  to  which  is  prefixed  an  Account  of  some 
Considerable  Vestiges  of  an  Ancient  Date,  which  have  been 
discovered  in  Different  Parts  of  Xorth  America." 

Later  he  left  Edinburgh,  and  took  his  degree  at  Gc'it- 
tingen,  returning  to  America  toward  the  close  of  the  year 
1789.  He  began  to  practice  in  Philadelphia,  where  his 
knowledge  of  medical  science  soon  caused  him  to  be  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  rising  young  men  of  the  day. 


110  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Tlie  trustees  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  in  estab- 
lishing a  professorship  of  natural  history  and  botany, 
elected  Dr.  Barton,  then  only  twenty-four  years  of  age,  to 
the  chair.  This  election  was  confirmed  in  the  following 
year,  when  the  College  became  a  part  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  The  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the  Uni- 
versity became  vacant,  and  this  j^i'ofessorship  was  assigned 
to  Dr.  Barton  five  years  later,  and  was  held  by  him  until  he 
succeeded  to  that  of  Dr.  Rush.  He  became,  in  1798,  one 
of  the  physicians  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  which  place 
he  held  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Among  the  first  works  published  by  Dr.  Barton  was  a 
memoir  concerning  the  Fascinating  Faculty  which  has 
been  ascribed  to  the  Rattlesnake  and  other  North  American 
Serpents,  published  in  1796.  A  supplement  to  this  memoir 
was  printed  four  years  later,  and  a  new  edition  in  1814. 
He  issued  a  work  on  the  materia  medica  of  the  United 
States,  in  two  parts,  published  in  1798  and  1801  respectively,'^ 
and  an  edition  of  the  two  combined  in  1810.  His  most 
important  work  was  his  "  Elements  of  Botany,"  which  first 
appe*ared  in  two  volumes  in  1803.  A  second  edition  of  the  first 
volume  was  issued  in  1812,  and  of  the  second  volume  in 
1814,  with  forty  plates.f  Dr.  William  P.  C.  Barton  issued, 
after  the  author's  death  in  1836,  a  revised  edition  in  one  vol- 
ume, prefixing  a  biographical  sketch,  prepared  at  the  request 
of  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Society,  of  which  his  uncle  had 
been  president.  A  translation  of  the  Elements  appeared  in 
Russian.    Dr.  Barton  also  wrote  extensively  on  other  subjects 

*  Collections  for  an  essay  towards  a  materia  medica  of  the  United  Slates.  Two 
parts.    Philadelphia.    Part  1:  1798,  pp.  49.    Part  II:  180-1,  pp.  53. 

t  Elements  of  Botany ;  or,  Outlines  of  the  Natural  History  of  Vegetables. 
Ed.  1 :  Philadelphia,  1803.    Ed.  II :  1812,  pp.  xviii,  324  ind.— 1814,  iv,  pp.  180,  44 ;  40  tab. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  Ill 

besides  botany.  General  natural  history  and  archaeology 
also  came  in  for  a  share  of  his  attention.  His  literary  work 
made  him  an  indefatigable  student,  and  led  him  to  under- 
take several  ambitious  projects  which  were  left  unfinished 
by  him. 

Only  three  days  before  his  death  he  wrote  a  paper  on 
a  genus  of  plants  which  had  been  named  in  honor  of  him, 
and  requested  his  nephew,  Dr.  W.  P.  C.  Barton,  to  make  a 
drawing  to  accompany  it.  The  latter  read  the  paper 
illustrated  by  him  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society.  Dr.  Barton  was  elected  to  this 
Society,  January  16,  1789,  before  his  return  from  student- 
life  abroad,  and  acted  as  one  of  its  vice-presidents,  begin- 
ning with  January  1,  1802. 

Dr.  Barton  was  a  patron  of  botanical  science.  Frederick 
Pursh,  in  his  Flora  Americse  Septentrionalis  (London,  1814), 
describes  an  excursion  that  he  was  enabled  to  take  by  the 
aid  of  Prof.  Barton  in  the  beginning  of  1805.  Pursh, 
in  his  exploration,  traveled  through  the  mountains  of  Yiv- 
ginia  and  the  Carolinas,  and  returned  along  the  coast, 
reaching  Philadelphia  late  in  the  autumn.  Similar  help 
was  extended  to  Thomas  Nuttall,  ''  whose  zeal  and  services," 
to  use  the  words  of  Dr.  Barton,  "  have  contributed  essentially 
to  extend  our  knowledge  of  the  north  west  ern^and  western 
flora  of  North  America,  and  to  whom  the  work^of  Frederick 
Pursh  is  under  infinite  obligations." 

Dr.  Barton  further  speaks  of  Nuttall  in  the  following 
words : 

"I  became  acquainted  with  this  young  Fnglisliman 
in  Philadelphia  several  years  ago,  and  observing  in  him  an 
ardent  attachment    to    and  some  knowledge  [of  botany,  I 


112  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

omitted  no  opportunity  of  fostering  his  zeal,  and  of 
endeavoring  to  extend  his  knowledge.  He  had  constant 
access  to  my  house,  and  the  benefit  of  my  botanical  books. 
In  ISIO  I  proposed  to  Mr.  Xuttall  the  undertaking  of 
an  expedition,  entirely  at  my  own  expense  and  under  my 
immediate  direction,  to  explore  the  botany,  etc.,  of  the 
northern  and  northwestern  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
the  adjoining  British  territories."  Xuttall  set  out  on  his 
journey  in  April,  1810,  ascending  the  Missouri  with  otlier 
travelers,  whose  objects  were  principally  traffic.  Return- 
ing, he  reached  St.  Louis  in  the  autumn  of  1811.  In  the 
latter  end  of  the  year  1811,  Xuttall  returned  to  England 
from  Xew  Orleans.  Previously  to  his  departure  he  trans- 
mitted to  Dr.  Barton  a  number  of  the  dried  specimens  and 
seeds  which  he  had  collected. 

Dr.  Barton  had  been  from  early  life  subject  to  hem- 
orrhages. In  a  few  years  increasing  ill-health  decided  him 
to  try  a  sea  voyage.  He  accordingly  sailed  for  France  in 
the  spring  of  1815,  and  returned  in  Xovember  of  that  year, 
but  without  being  much  benefited.  His  condition  became 
rapidly  worse  after  he  landed,  and  on  the  morning  of 
December  19,  1815,  he  was  found  dead  in  bed. 

In  1797  Dr.  Barton  married  a  daughter  of  ]\Ir.  Edward 
Pennington,  of  Philadelphia,  who,  with  their  only  children, 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  survived  him.  He  named  his  son 
after  ]Mr.  Thomas  Pennant,  an  English  naturalist  with 
whom  he  became  acquainted  while  a  medical  student. 

"  In  figure  [Dr.  Barton]  was  tall  and  exceedingly  well 
formed ;  in  middle  life  he  might  be  considered  as  having 
been  handsome.  His  physiognomy  was  strongly  expressive 
of  intelligence,  and  his  eye  was  remarkably  fine  and 
penetrating. 


THE    BOTAXLSTS   OF    PIIir.ADELPIlIA.  U3 

'■  In  tcnperamcnt  l,o  was  irritable  and  even  choleric 
His  spirits  were  irregular,  his  manners  consequently 
variable,  impetuous,  vehement.  Tiiese  repeated  vacillations 
between  equanimity  and  depression  were  generally  owing 
to  the  sudden  and  repeated  attacks  of  his  continual  earthlv 
companion — irregular  gout. 

"In    fixmiliar    conversation    he    was  often    eloquent 
remarkably  facetious,  but  never  witty. 

fault" '^'  ''^  ^'''''"'  '''  ''"'  ^''''^'  *"''^"'  ''"'^  '"'^"'«^"'  to  a 
Dr.  Barton  corresponded  with  many  prominent  natural- 
ists and  physicians  at  home  and  abroad.  He  established 
an  enviable  foreign  reputation,  and  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Imperial  Society  of  Naturalists  of  Moscow,  the  Danish 
Koyal  Society  of  Sciences,  the  Danish  Medical  Society  the 
Linna^an  Society  of  London,  and  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
of  Scotland. 

FREDERICK   PURSH. 

Frederick  Pursh  was  born  at  Tobolsk,  in  Siberia  in 
1774,  of  German  parentage.*  He  was  educated  in  Dresden 
and  came  to  this  country  in  1799,  establishing  himself  in' 
Philadelphia.  He  was  able  to  make  the  acquaintance  not 
only  of  Muhlenberg,  who  survived  until  1815,  and  of  Wm 
Bartram,  who  died  in  1823,  but  also  of  the  veteran' 
Humphry  Marshall,  who  died  in  1805.     He  says  : 

"  Not  far  from  the  latter  place  are  also  tlie'  extensive 
gardens^  William  Hamilton,  Esq.,  called  the  AVoodlands,t 


114  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

which  I  found  not  only  rich  in  plants  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  but  particularly  so  in  rare  and  new  American  species. 
Philadelphia  being  a  central  situation,  and  extremely  well 
calculated  for  the  cultivation  of  plants  from  all  the  other 
parts  of  North  America,  I  found  this  collection  particularly 
valuable  for  furnishing  me  with  a  general  knowledge  of  the 
plants  of  that  country  preparatory  to  more  extensive  travels 
into  the  interior,  for  the  discovery  of  new  and  unknown 
species.  Mr.  John  Lyon  (of  whom  I  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  hereafter),  who  had  the  management  of  these 
gardens,  was  then  about  to  give  them  up :  having  the  offer 
of  being  appointed  his  successor  I  embraced  it,  and  accord- 
ingly in  1802,  I  entered  upon  the  situation.  During  my 
stay  in  this  place,  which  was  until  1805,  I  received  and 
collected  plants  from  all  parts  of  North  America  ;  and  when 
Michaux's  '  Flora  Boreali-Americana  '  appeared,  which  was 
during  that  time,  I  was  not  only  in  possession  of  most  of  his 
plants,  but  had  then  a  considerable  number  not  described 
by  him." 

His  early  and  principal  patron  was  Dr.  Benjamin 
Smith  Barton,  who  supplied  the  means  for  most  of  the 
travels  which  he  w^as  able  to  undertake,  and  who,  as  Pursh 
states,  "  for  some  time  previous  had  been  collecting  materials 
for  an  American  Flora."  Pursh's  personal  explorations 
were  not  extensive.  In  the  spring  of  1805  he  set  out  for 
the  mountains  and  western  territories  of  the  Southern  states, 
beginning  at  Maryland  and  extending  to  the  Carolinas  (in 
Avhich  tract  the  interesting  high  mountains  of  Virginia  and 
Carolina  took  my  particular  attention),  returning  late  in 
the  autumn  through  the  lower  countries  along  the  sea-coast 
to  Philadelphia. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  115 

But,  in  tracing  his  stei)S  by  his  collections  and  by  other 
indications,  it  appears  he  did  not  reach  the  western  borders 
of  Virginia,  nor  cross  its  southern  boundaries  into  the 
mountains  of  North  Carolina.  The  peaks  of  Otter  and 
Salt  Pond  Mountain  (now  Mountain  Lake),  were  the  highest 
elevations  which  he  attained.  The  following  season  he 
went,  in  like  manner,  over  the  Northern  states,  beginning 
with  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  and  extending  to 
those  in  New  Hampshire  (in  which  tract  he  traversed  the 
extensive  and  highly  interesting  country,  of  the  lesser  and 
greater  lakes)  and  returning,  as  before,  by  the  sea-coast. 

The  diary  *  of  this  expedition,  found  among  Dr. 
Barton's  papers  and  collections  in  possession  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society,  was  printed  by  Thomas  Potts  James. 
It  shows  that  the  journey  was  not  as  extended,  or  as 
thorough,  as  would  be  supposed ;  that  it  was  from  Phila- 
delphia directly  north  to  the  Pocono  Mountains,  thence  to 
Onondaga,  and  to  Oswego — the  only  point  on  the  Great 
Lakes  reached — thence  back  to  Utica,  down  the  Mohawk 
Valley  to  Saratoga,  and  north  to  the  upper  part  of  Lake 
Champlain  and  to  the  lesser  green  mountains  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rutland,  but  not  beyond.  Discouraged  by  the  lateness 
of  the  season,  and  disheartened,  as  he  had  all  along  been, 
by  the  failure  and  insufficiency  of  remittances  from  his 
patron,  Pursh  turned  back  from  Rutland  on  the  22d  of 
September,  reached  New  York  on  the  1st  of  October,  and 
Philadelphia  on  the  5th.  The  next  year  (1807)  Pursh  took 
charge  of  the  botanic  garden,  which  Dr.  Hosack  liad 
formed  at  Ncav  York  and  afterward  sold  to  tlie  State,  wliicli 

*  Journal  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  in  the  Xorlhern  Parts  of  the  iStalcs  of 
Pennsvlvania  and  New  York,  during  the  year  1S07.  Philadelphia,  lS()i).  Edited  by 
Thomas  P.  James.    Also  see  Tlie  Gardener  s  Monthly  (Meehan),  X  and  XI. 


116  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

soon  made  it  over  to  Columbia  College.  In  1810  he  made  a 
voyage  to  the  West  Indies  for  the  recovery  of  his  health. 
Returning  in  the  autumn  of  1811,  he  landed  at  Wiscasset, 
in  Maine,  and  "  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  Professor 
Peck,  of  Cambridge  College,  near  Boston,"  and  of  seeing 
the  alpine  plants  which  Peck  had  collected  on  the  White 
^lountains. 

The  plants  collected  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  on  their 
return  from  the  far  West,  were  studied,  described,  and 
figured  by  Pursh.  He  inserted  the  descriptions  in  his  flora, 
distinguishing  them  by  the  words :  "  v.  s.  in  Herb.  Lewis." 
He  also  studied  the  collections  made  by  Aloysius 
Enslen,  sent  to  America  by  Count  Lich ten  stein,  of  Austria, 
which  fitted  up  a  desideratum  in  his  collection,  particularly 
in  the  plants  of  Lower  Louisiana  and  Georgia.  "  v.  s.  in  Herb 
Enslen."  At  the  same  time  he  had  frequent  opportunities  of 
seeing  the  herbarium  and  collection  of  living  plants  of  Mr. 
John  Lyon,  a  gentleman,  through  whose  industry  and  skill, 
more  new  and  rare  American  plants  have  lately  been 
sent  into  Europe  than  through  any  other  channel 
whatever.  "  v.  s.  in  Herb.  Lyon." 

At  the  end  of  1811,  or  in  1812,  he  went  to  England 
with  his  collections  and  notes ;  and  at  the  close  of  1813, 
consulting,  the  while,  the  herbaria  of  Clayton,  Pallas, 
Plukenet,  Catesby,  Morison,  Sherard,  Walter,  and  that  of 
Banks.* 

The  work  f  was  completed  with  expedition.  It  con- 
tains 470  genera  of  Phsenogamous  and  Filicoid  plants,  and 

*  See  the  introduction  to  this  book  p.  26  for  account  of  the  discovery  and  re- 
description  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  plants  described  by  Pursh. 

t  Flora  America  Septentrionalis ;  or,  a  Systematic  Arrangement  and  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Plants  of  North  America.  1814.  II  vols,  octavo,  pp.  xxxvi,  751,  24  tab. 
col.    Second  edition,  1816,  octavo  pp.  xxxvi,  751,  24  tab.  col.  (same  impression.) 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  117 

3076  species;  double  the  number  of  species  contained  in 
Michaux's  Flora.  In  the  supplement,  Pursh  was  able  to 
include  a  considerable  number  of  species,  collected  by  Brad- 
bur}^  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  much  to  the  discontent  of 
Nuttall,  who  was  in  that  region  at  the  same  time,  and  who, 
indeed,  partly  and  imperfectly  anticipated  Pursh  in  certain 
cases,  through  the  publication,  by  the  Frazers,  of  a  cata- 
logue of  the  plants  collected  by  Nuttall. 

Pursh  returned  to  America,  settling  in  Canada,  intend- 
ing to  continue  his  studies  of  the  North  American  Flora, 
but  he  died  at  Montreal  June  11,  1820,  aged  46  years.  "^ 

BERNARD   M'MAHON. 

Bernard  M'Mahon  f  was  born  in  Ireland  circa  1775, 
of  good  birth  and  fortune.  He  was  obliged  to  leave  Ireland 
on  account  of  his  connection  with  one  of  the  unsuccessful 
rebellions,  arriving  in  America  in  1796.  He  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  where,  in  1809,  he  founded  a  botanic  garden, 
which  he  named  Upsal,  partly  situated  on  ground  near 
the  yards  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railroad  at 
Huntingdon  Station,  Philadelphia.!  M'Mahon  was  one  of 
the  first  successful  gardeners  of  the  United  States,  and  was 
a  man  of  education,  and  devoted  to  his  profession.  He 
enjoyed  the  friendship  of  Jefferson  and  other  distinguished 
Americans,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  arrangement  for 

*  His  grave  in  the  cemetery  at  Montreal  was  marked  by  admiring  scientists 
The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meelian's),  XXVI,  p.  318. 

t  See  Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography  (1888). 
Sargent— iS'iif/'a  of  North  America,  VII :  86. 

j  His  grand-daughter  informed  Dr.  G.  B.  Keen,  librarian  Pennsylvania  Histor- 
ical Society,  that  the  garden  was  located  at  the  junction  of  Germantown  Road  and 
Township  line,  being  now  incorporated  in  Fotterall  Square,  at  11th  and  Cumberland 
Streets. 


118  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PPIILADELPHIA. 

the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition  was  made  at  his  house. 
M'Mahon  was  the  author  of  "  Tlie  American  Gardener's 
Calendar,"  published  in  1806,  a  second  edition  in  1819, 
and  an  eleventh,  revised  by  John  Jay  Smith,  in  1857. 
Malionia,  a  genus  of  handsome  evergreen  shrubs  of  West 
North  America,  was  named  in  his  honor  by  Thomas  Nuttall. 

M'Mahon's  Garden  was  founded  in  1811,  about  three 
miles  north  of  Philadelphia  (in  the  neighborhood  of  11th 
and  Cumberland  Streets).  The  committee  appointed  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society  visited  the  garden  in 
1830,  kept  by  Mrs.  M']\lahon,  after  the  death  of  her  husband, 
the  founder,  and  reported  the  collection  good. 

"  Here  is  the  largest  Portlandia  that  we  have  seen,  and 
a  good  selection  of  the  succulent  family,  with  many  oranges, 
lemons,  shaddock,  etc.,  and  splendid  magnolias ;  the  macro- 
phylla,  grandiflora,  etc.  A  very  large  tree  of  Madura 
aurantiaca  or  osage  orange  ;  a  highly  ornamental  tree,  with 
bright  green  foliage,  and  standing  longer  in  the  fall  than 
any  other  of  the  deciduous  tribe.  It  bears  a  large  green 
fruit,  not  unlike  an  orange.  We  think  that  Mr.  M'Mahon 
was  the  first  to  introduce  this  tree,  brought  back  by  Lewis 
and  Clark.  Here  we  saw  an  uncommon  large  shrub  of  the 
Lonicera  tartarica,  or  tartarian  honeysuckle ;  it  is  twenty 
feet  in  diameter,  and  high  in  proportion. 

"  The  ground  contains  about  twenty  acres,  distributed 
in  nursery  stock,  and  growing  vegetable  seeds. 

"  Those  two  beautiful  shrubs,  the  Symphoricarpos 
racemosus  and  Ribes  aureum,  were  propagated  in  this 
nursery  before  any  other  in  our  vicinity ;  and  this  was  the 
case,  too,  with  many  other  shrubs  and  trees.  Of  European 
trees  there  are  several  valuable  specimens,  such  as  Fraxi- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  119 

nus,  Tilia,  Ulmus,  Fagus,  Betula,  Carpinus,  Platanus  and 
Pmus.  On  these  grounds  are  ponds  well  stocked  with 
beautiful  fish  and  water  plants,  among  these  last  is  the 
Nymphaea  odorata,  with  its  showy  white  flowers,  yellow 
anthers  and  sweet  fragrance. 

"  Mr.  M'Mahon  was  an  indefatigable  arborist,  and  his 
garden  now  exhibits  a  row  of  native  oaks,  planted  by  him, 
containing  thirty  varieties;  being  all  the  kinds  that  he 
could  collect  in  his  day,  either  with  money  or  zealous 
exertion.  The  willow-leaved  oak  is  the  most  conspicuous, 
and  forms  a  very  handsome  conical  tree. 

''Perhaps  we  owe  as  much  to  the  late  Mr.  M'Mahon,  as. 
a  horticulturist,  as  to  any  individual  in  America.  Besides 
his  efl'orts  in  collecting  and  propogating,  we  are  indebted  to 
him  for  his  excellent  book  on  "  American  Gardening," 
which  has  passed  through  many  editions."* 

WILLIAM    BALDWIN. 

In  the  south-eastern  corner  of  Pennsylvania,  just  north 
of  the  famed  Mason  and  Dixon  line,  lies  the  county  of 
Chester,  picturesque,  historic  and  fertile,  but  specially 
prolific  for  a  century  past  in  cultivators  of  botanical  science. 
And  in  the  township  of  Newlin,in  this  same  county,  on  the 
29th  of  March,  1779,  was  born  William  Baldwin,  f  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  His  father,  Thomas  Baldwin,  was  a 
member  and  an  approved  minister  of  the  Society  of 
j;i;iends^  He  gave  to  the  son  such  rudimentary  education 

sons  oA'he'uJJ'Jl  American  Gardener's  Calendar;  Adapted  to  the  Climates  and  Sea- 
pTr/elpMa     frnff         ^     'T'^  ^V^l^^on,  Xursery,  Seedsman  and  Florist, 
rniladelphia.    Printed  by  B.  Graves  for  the  author.    Octavo  pp.,  v,  648,  index. 
Baldwin  ^^''"    ^'  ^'   ^^^^^l^LD,  Botanical  Gazette,  VIII:  233.      An  engraving  of  W 
pamtmg  by  C.  \\  .  Peale  on  stone,  by  a  Newsam,  Philadelphia,  1848. 


120  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

as  the  common  schools  of  the  vicinity  could  furnish.  But 
the  youth  tliirsted  for  knowledge,  and  soon  hecame  a 
teacher,  daily  acquiring  for  himself  and  imparting  to  others 
such  store  of  information  as  was  at  his  command.  While 
thus  engaged,  his  thoughts  were  turned  to  the  medical 
profession,  and  he  became  a  pupil  of  Dr.  William  A.  Todd, 
of  Downingtown,  in  the  same  county ;  and  afterwards,  in 
the  winter  of  1802-3,  attended  his  first  course  of  medical 
lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Here  he 
formed  the  acquaintance  and  secured  the  intimate  friend- 
ship of  Dr.  William  Darlington,  who,  while  suffering  from 
a  severe  attack  of  illness,  received  from  young  Baldwin 
assiduous  kindness  and  attention,  which  he  never  forgot. 
After  his  first  course  of  lectures  at  Philadelphia  he  resumed 
his  studies  with  Dr.  Todd,  at  Downingtown,  and  here  he 
became  acquainted  with  Dr.  jNIoses  INIarshall,  nephew  of 
Humphry  Marshall,  the  well-known  author  of  '"  Arbustum 
Americanum,"  and  founder  of  a  botanic  garden  at  Mar- 
shallton.  The  nephew  also  had  some  botanical  knowledge, 
and  had  been  of  material  service  to  his  uncle,  both  in  the 
establishment  of  his  garden,  and  in  the  preparation  of  his 
work  on  "  American  Forest  Trees  and  Shrubs."  Dr. 
Marshall  seems  to  have  first  awakened  Baldwin's  taste  for 
the  study  of  the  vegetable  creation  ;  and  the  rich  collection 
of  indigenous  plants  in  the  Marshallton  garden  served  to 
strengthen  this  taste,  which  soon  deepened  into  zeal  under  the 
instruction  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Smith  Barton,  of  Philadelphia. 
In  1805  Baldwin  received  the  appointment  of  surgeon 
on  a  merchant  ship  bound  to  Canton.  Returning  from 
China  in  1806,  he  resumed  the  medical  course  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  on  the  10th  of  April,  1807, 
he  received  the  degree  of  ^I.  D.     He  selected  Wilmington, 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  121 

Delaware,  for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  soon 
afterward  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  M.  Webster,  of  that 
city,  a  lady  of  superior  intellectual  endowments,  and  favored 
with  a  finished  classical  education,  unusual  for  that  day. 
At  Wilmington  he  devoted  his  leisure  to  the  study  of  the 
plants  of  that  vicinity,  and  while  there  in  1811  he  attracted 
the  attention  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  of  Lancaster,  who  sought 
a  correspondence  with  him,  which  was  actively  maintained 
until  Muhlenberg's  death  in  1815.  Dr.  Darlington  in  his 
ReliquicX  Baldwinianx  has  given  this  correspondence  to  the 
world,  and  the  letters  on  both  sides,  ninety  in  all,  are 
characteristic  of  the  respective  writers,  and  illustrative  of 
the  formative  period  of  American  botany. 

Pulmonary  weakness  forced  Dr.  Baldwin,  in  the  autumn 
of  1811,  to  resort  to  a  milder  climate,  and  he  removed  to  the 
state  of  Georgia,  residing  chiefly  at  Savannah  and  St. 
Mary's.  Here  was  a  new  and  interesting  field  for  botanical 
research,  which  he  cultivated  with  great  ardor,  making  long 
journeys  on  foot,  with  knapsack  on  his  back,  often  entirely 
alone,  penetrating  far  into  the  territory  of  the  aborigines, 
among  whom  his  peaceful  principles  and  gentle  bearing 
secured  liim  a  kind  reception.  In  1812  war  with  Great 
Britain  interrupted  these  pursuits,  and  called  into  use  his 
professional  abilities  as  a  surgeon  of  a  gunboat  flotilla 
stationed  at  St.  Mary's.  For  two  years  he  ministered  to  the 
sick  and  distressed  with  no  other  aid  than  that  of  his  wife. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  stationed  at  Savannah, 
where  he  was  brought  into  close  and  friendly  communication 
with  Stephen  Elliott,  author  of  the  "  Sketch  of  the  Botany 
of    South    Carolina   and    Georgia."*      His   correspondence 

*  1821-24.     Elliott,  A  Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  in 
two  volumes.    Charlestown,  I :  x,  14,  606  pp.,  12  tab.,  II :  1824,  viii,  743  pp. 


122  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

during  these  years  of  southern  residence  shows  that  not- 
withstanding the  interruptions  caused  by  professional  labor, 
and  by  war's  rude  alarms,  he  lost  no  opportunity  for 
botanical  research,  and  for  the  acquisition  of  new  material. 

Near  the  close  of  1817  he  received  an  appointment  as 
surgeon  of  the  U.  S.  frigate  "  Congress,"  which  was  to  visit 
Buenos  Ayres  and  other  South  American  ports. 

His  knowledge  of  natural  history  led  to  this  appoint- 
ment, and  it  was  accepted  with  the  hope  that  his  failing 
health  might  be  restored.  His  ship  touched  at  Rio  Janeiro, 
Montevideo,  Buenos  Ayres,  Maldonado,  San  Salvador,  and 
Margarita.  At  all  these  places  he  made  diligent  use  of  his 
limited  opportunities  for  collecting,  and  in  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  are  preserved  many  of  the  plants  so  collected. 

From  this  voyage  he  returned  in  July,  1818,  rejoining 
his  family  at  Wilmington.  He  now  bent  all  his  energies 
to  the  study  of  the  material  collected  during  his  Southern 
residence,  with  a  view  to  publication,  under  the  proposed 
title  :  "  Miscellaneous  Sketches  of  Georgia  and  East  Florida, 
to  which  will  be  added  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  new  plants, 
with  notices  of  the  works  of  Pursh,  Elliott  and  Nuttall,  to 
which  will  be  added  an  appendix  containing  some  account 
of  the  vegetable  productions  on  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  etc." 
In  September  he  writes  Darlington  :  "  I  have  to  inform  you 
that  I  go  on  slowly  and,  I  hope,  the  more  surely.  It  will 
not  do  to  hurry — there  has  been  too  much  hurrying  among 
our  botanists.  But  you  may  rely  upon  it  that  nothing  but 
death  or  disease  will  prevent  me  from  going  on  steadily. 
Both  interest  and  knowledge  increase  as  I  go  along."  The 
Southern  Cyperacesc  now  specially  engaged  his  attention. 
His  letters  to  Darlington  and  Collins  at  this  time  are  full  of 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  123 

critical  notes  and  minute  inquiries  relative  to  the  species  of 
Cyperus,  Scirpus  and  Rliynchospora,  and  he  had  nearly  com- 
pleted his  elaboration  of  the  plants  of  this  order,  and  was 
engaged  upon  the  genera  Pa^palum  and  Panicum  among 
the  grasses,  when  he  laid  aside  his  work  at  a  new  and  unex- 
pected call.  The  government  was  preparing  to  send  out  a 
new  expedition  for  the  exploration  of  the  Upper  Missouri, 
under  the  command  of  Major  Long,  to  be  accompanied  by 
a  corps  of  naturalists.  Baldwin's  friends,  Darlington  and 
LeConte,  successfully  urged  his  appointment  as  botanist, 
and  prevailed  upon  him  to  accept.  Hope  of  prolonging  his 
failing  health  doubtless  influenced  his  decision.  In  March, 
1819,  he  made  the  journey  over  the  mountains  to  Pitts- 
burg, where  he  joined  his  fellow-travelers.  A  small  light- 
draft  steamboat  had  been  constructed  for  the  long  river 
voyage,  but  repeated  delays  ensued,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
5th  of  May  that  the  departure  took  place.  From  the 
beginning  Baldwin  seems  to  have  sad  foreboding.  On  the 
point  of  departure  he  wrote  Darlington  :  "  I  shall  hold  out 
as  long  as  I  can.  Whether  my  remains  are  deposited  on 
the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  or  among  my  kindred  at  home, 
is  now  a  matter  of  little  consequence.  For  the  sake  of  my 
family,  and  the  pursuits  I  am  engaged  in,  I  should  wish  to 
live  a  few  years  longer."  In  fact,  his  strength  was  already 
failing,  and  only  his  enthusiasm  and  force  of  will  sustained 
him.  The  boat  proved  unsuitable  for  her  work — was 
leaky,  damp,  and  uncomfortable,  requiring  constant  repairs. 
A  stop  was  made  at  Cincinnati  for  a  week,  partly  for  repairs 
and  partly  on  account  of  the  alarming  condition  of  Dr. 
Baldwin,  who  remained  on  shore  with  his  friend.  Dr. 
Drake,  until  he   rallied.     As  the  boat  made  her  slow  way 


124  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  he 
chafed  under  the  restrictions,  both  of  military  rule  and  of 
increasing  weakness,  and  in  his  desire  to  make  the  most  of 
the  few  opportunities  allowed  him  for  collecting,  he,  doubt- 
less, exhausted  his  little  remaining  strength.  On  the  15th 
July  the  expedition  reached  Franklin,  Mo.,  and  here  Dr. 
Baldwin  was  compelled  to  leave  it.  He  found  a  hospitable 
home  at  the  house  of  John  J.  Lowry,  and  there,  September 
1st,  he  died  in  his  41st  year.  He  left  a  wife  and  four 
children,  the  youngest  then  an  infant.  The  friend  who 
knew  him  best  said  of  him :  "  I  have  never  j^et  had  the 
happiness  to  be  acquainted  with  any  man  of  a  more  amiable 
and  upright  character,  more  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  or  more  zealously  devoted  to  science  and  the  welfare 
of  his  fellow-creatures." 

Dr.  Baldwin's  published  scientific  papers  were  but  tAVO, 
and  these  were  offered  for  pul^lication  just  before  starting  on 
his  last  journey : 

1.  An  account  of  two  North  American  species  of 
Rottboellia,  discovered  on  the  sea-coast  of  Georgia.  Avierican 
Journal  Science,  1st  series  I,  355,  1819. 

2.  An  account  of  two  North  American  species  of  Cyperus 
from  Georgia,  and  of  four  species  of  Kyllingia,  from  the 
Brazilian  coast  and  from  the  Rio  de  la  Plata.  Trans. 
American  Philosophical  Society,  Philadelphia,  new  series  II, 
167.     Read  April  16,  1819. 

Fortunately  his  unpublished  memoranda  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Dr.  Torrey,  and  though  in  a  crude  and  frag- 
mentary state,  they  were  used  as  their  author  Avould  have 
wished,  as  contributions  for  Dr.  Torrey's  monograph  of  the 
Cyperaceiie,  and  for  Dr.  Gray's  monograph  of  Rhyncliospora  in 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  125 

Annals  of  New  York  Lyceum  of  KaUiral  Hidory,  vol.  III. 
His  lierbariuin  was  purchased  by  his  friend,  Collins,  from 
whom  it  went  to  De  Schweinitz,  who  bequeathed  it  to  the 
Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.'^ 

SOLOMON  WHITE  CONRAD. 

Solomon  White  Conrad  f  was  a  remarkable  man,  and 
all  who  remember  him  make  this  statement  without 
reserve.  He  was  also  popular,  for  his  house,  as  a  natural 
history  salon,  was  a  favorite  gathering  place  for  all  the 
scientific  notables  of  the  city. 

A  descendant  of  Thones  Kunders,  who  left  Crefeld, 
Germany,  July  24,  1683,  and  settled  at  Germantown. 
His  father  was  John  Conrad,  a  blacksmith,  and  Solomon 
was  born  July  31,  1779.  We  know  nothing  positively  as 
as  to  his  early  life,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  became  an 
apprentice  of  a  printer  or  bookseller.  A  strong  liking  for 
scientific  study  was  early  developed,  and  the  fears  of  his 
friends  were  realized  that  he  would  not  be  successful  in 
business.  His  partner  ruined  him  financially.  The  out- 
door world  was  more  attractive  than  the  shop  on  Market 
Street,  as  the  following  quotation^  from  the  manuscript 
journal  of  a  nephew  will  show :  "  My  father,  *  "^  * 
with  Solomon  Conrad,  would  take  long  walks  in  search  of 
new  specimens.  I  went  with  them  once  on  a  stroll  along 
the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  when  they  saw,  at  the  same 
time,  in  the  shallow  bed  of  the  river,  a  fine  lot  of  mussels. 
Both  rushed  to  the  spot,  regardless  of  the  rough  stones  and 


*  1843.  Darlington — Reliquiae  Bald winianfe  ;  Collins'  Correspondence,  Library 
Philadelphia  Academy;  James'  History  of  Major  Long's  Expedition,  Philadelphia, 
1823. 

t  Vi9b— Popular  Science  Monthly,  XLVII :  257,  from  which  the  main  facts 
given  here  are  taken. 

X  Quoted  in  Popular  Science  Monthly. 


126  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

splashing  of  the  muddy  water,  the  broad  tails  of  their  plain 
coats  standing  out  behind  and  their  arms  reaching  out  in 
front,  eager  to  secure  the  prize."  Having  acquired  a  wide 
reputation  as  a  mineralogist  and  a  botanist,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  elected  Professor  of  Botany  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  March  21,  1829,  and  delivered, 
]\Iay  1st,  his  introductory  address.  In  Tlie  Friend,  of 
May  9th,  1829,  the  late  Robert  Vaux,  of  Philadelphia, 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  lecture :  "  With  a  suc- 
cinct review  of  the  history  of  botany,  he  very  happily 
blended  some  biographical  notices  of  the  distinguished  men 
to  whom  science  owed  its  origin  and  illustration.  He 
traced,  with  great  acuteness  and  perspicuity,  the  analogy  of 
vegetable  and  animal  life,  admitting  the  limit  of  human 
knowledge.  Every  view  that  he  furnished  of  the  subject, 
upon  Avhich  he  is  so  well  qualified  to  impart  instruction, 
was  just  and  forcible,  while  the  simplicity  of  his  manner 
and  chasteness  of  his  style  were,  by  no  means,  the  least 
interesting  traits  of  the  lecturer."  Frederick  Fraley,  Esq., 
of  Philadelphia,  recently  informed  Dr.  C.  C.  Abbot,  who 
is  related  to  the  Conrad  family,  that  he  attended  the 
lecture  referred  to,  and  that  Mr.  Vaux  had  not  over- 
drawn his  account.  He  evidently  died  while  occupying  the 
chair  of  botany  in  the  University,  for  we  find  his  name  in 
the  catalogue  for  1831,  his  death  occurring  October  2,  1831. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "Remarks  on  the  Osmunda  Claytoniana  of  Linnseus  " — Journal 
Academy  Natural  Sciences,  VI  :  39. 

2.  "Description    of    a   new   species   of   Juncus " — Journal  Academy 
Natural  Sciences,  VI  :  105. 

3.  "Notice  of  a   new   species   of    Corallorhiza " — Journal   Academy 
Natural  Sciences,  VI  :  145. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  127 

LEWIS  DAVID  DE  SCHWEINITZ.!^ 

Lewis  David  de  Scliweinitz  was  born  at  Bethlehem 
Pa.,  February  13,  ITSO.f  His  father  is  said  to  have  belonged 
to  an  ancient  and  distinguished  family  of  Silesia,  Germany. 
He  was  superintendent  of  the  ''  fiscal  and  secular  concerns  " 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren  of  North  America.  De  Schw^einitz 
was,  doubtless,  much  influenced  in  determining  his  choice 
of  vocation  by  his  father,  but  still  more  by  his  maternal 
ancestors.  His  mother  was  Dorothea  Elizabeth  de  Watte- 
ville,  daughter  of  Baron  (afterwards  Bishop)  John  de 
Watteville  and  Benija,*  who  was  a  daughter  of  Count 
Zinzendorf  Nicolas  Lewis,  Count  Zinzendorf  (born  in 
Dresden  in  1700),  was  celebrated,  in  his  early  youth,  for 
forming  religious  societies.  He  was  afterwards  associated 
with  Watteville  in  founding  the  system  of  the  "  Unitas 
Fratrum."  He  established  the  village  of  Herrnhut,  and  from 
this  little  colony  many  missionaries  were  sent  out  to  all  parts 
of  the  world  to  instruct  the  heathen.  At  Germantown,  and 
other  places  near,  he  held  frequent  religious  discourses  in 
1742,  and  in  Philadelphia,  in  a  Latin  speech,  renounced  his 
title  of  Count,  resuming  his  original  family  name,  and  was 
afterwards  know^n  among  the  Quakers  as  "  Friend  Lewis  !  " 
Under  his  immediate  agency  the  colony  of  Bethlehem  was 
founded.  He  died  at  Herrnhut,  in  1760.  Such  a  dis- 
tinguished example,  "  the  ancestor  of  his  family  and  the 

*  This  name  appears  in  two  forms.  In  the  memoir  of  his  life  cited  below,  and 
in  Johnson's  Encyclopaedia,  etc.,  also  in  the  introduction  to  this  book  (pages  4,  9, •24,) 
it  is  written  according  to  the  German  form,  L.  D.  von  Schweinitz.  In  his  books, 
which  are  all  in  Latin  or  in  English,  it  is  invariably  written  L.  D.  de  Schweinitz, 
(sometimes,  L.  D.  de  Schweiniz).  His  descendants  write  De  Schweinitz,  and  here- 
after in  this  book  that  form  will  be  used.    Benija,  also  written  Benigna. 

t  Journal  of  Mycology,  II :  31.  This  sketch  is  based  on  a  Memoir  read  by  R. 
Walter  Johnson,  May  12,  1835,  before  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia. 

lSo5.  A  Memoir  of  the  late  Leivis  David  von  Schweinitz  P.  D.,with  a  sketch  of 
His  Scientific  Labours,  read  before  the  Academy  of  Xatural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 
May  1-2, 1635,  by  Walter  R.  Johnson.  Octavo  pp.  38  (with  tabular  view  of  the  botanical 
works  of  Mr.  de  Schweinitz). 


128  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

father  of  his  denomination,"  deeply  impressed  the  imagina- 
tion of  De  Schweinitz,  who  very  early  conceived  the  laudahle 
desire  of  entering  upon  a  career  of  similar  activity.  This 
was  the  initiative  step  towards  literary  and  scientific 
acquisitions. 

He  was  placed,  in  1787,  in  the  institution  of  the 
Moravian  community  at  Nazareth.  Here  he  remained  for 
eleven  years,  and  during  this  time,  was  a  pupil  most 
industrious,  observant  and  successful.  It  was  at  Nazareth, 
though  before  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  institution,  that  he  refers 
his  first  impulse  to  the  study  of  botany.  He  visited  the 
place  in  company  with  his  grandfather.  Bishop  de  ^^^atte- 
ville,  and  noticed  on  the  table  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the 
school,  a  lichen  whose  name  and  characters  were  commented 
upon ;  and  from  this  time  foi'ward  he  was  a  most  enthusiastic 
student  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  One  of  the  teachers  at 
Nazareth  gave  him  instruction  in  botany,  and  while  he  was 
a  student  at  the  place  he  prepared  "  A  Partial  Flora  of 
Nazareth,"  which  is  still  among  his  unpublished  manu- 
scripts. He  made  such  progress  in  his  studies,  and  his 
deportment  also  was  such  as  to  secure  his  appointment  as 
instructor  to  some  of  the  classes  while  he  was  yet  a  student 
in  the  institution.  In  1798  his  father  was  called  to  Germany. 
His  family  accompanied  him,  and  De  Schweinitz  was  placed 
in  the  theological  institution  at  Niesky,  in  upper  Lusatia.  He 
was  associated  with  young  men  of  talent  and  energy,  and 
his  activities  were  here  redoubled.  J.  B.  d' Albert ini  was 
professor  in  the  institution — a  man  of  great  learning  and 
decision  of  character.  To  him  De  Schweinitz  was  drawn  by 
strong  sympathy,  and  their  mutual  esteem  afterward 
developed  into  the  closest  intimacy.     After  completing  his 


L.  D.  DE  SCHWEINITZ. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  129 

theological  studies,  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  academy 
at  Niesky.  He  was  all  this  time  not  only  a  diligent  student 
of  fungi,  but  scarcely  any  topic  in  the  wide  field  of  science 
escaped  his  notice.  So  many  interesting  and  new  genera 
and  species  of  fungi  had  been  found  by  himself  and 
Albertini,  that  in  1805  a  volume  of  about  400  pages  was 
published  by  them  conjointly,  bearing  the  following  title : 
"Conspectus  Fungorum  in  Lusatise  Superioris  Agro  Nis- 
kiensi  crescentium  e  Methodo  Persooniana.  Cum  tabulis 
xii,  aeneis  pictis,  species  novas  XCIII  sistendibus.  Auctori- 
bus  J.  B.  d' Albertini,  L.  D.  de  Schweinitz,  Lipsise,  1805." 

De  Schweinitz  engaged  in  preaching  before  he  left 
Niesky,  and  in  1807  he  was  called  to  similar  work  in  the 
Moravian  settlement  at  Gnadenberg,  in  Silesia.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  called  to  Gnadau,  in  Saxony,  and  remained 
there  till  1812.  At  this  time  he  was  appointed  general  agent 
to  his  Church  in  the  United  States.  He  married  Louiza 
Amelia  Le  Doux  before  leaving,  and  with  his  wife  was  com- 
pelled, on  account  of  Napoleon's  operations  to  take  a  route 
through  Denmark  and  Sweden,  in  order  to  embark  for  this 
country.  This  was  advantageous  to  him  on  account  of 
extending  his  acquaintance  with  men  of  learning.  At  Kiel, 
in  Holstein,  he  became  known  to  many  professors  of  the 
University ;  and  that  institution  conveyed  upon  him  the 
same  year,  the  honorary  title  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

It  was  a  perilous  voyage  to  make  at  that  time,  for  the 
United  States  had  declared  war  against  Great  Britain. 
Besides  they  encountered  terrible  storms  and  their  vessel 
was  dismasted.  They  finally  reached  the  shore  in  safety, 
and  he  began  his  work  to  appointment  at  Salem,  N.  C.  In 
the  meantime,  "  he  found  time  to  prosecute  the  study  of 
botany  in  a  dominion,  scientifically  speaking,  all  his  own." 


130  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

The  results  of  his  work  on  the  fungi  were  communicated  to 
the  world  through  the  publications  of  the  Society  of 
Naturalists  at  Leipsic,  in  1818.  His  friend,  Dr.  D.  F. 
Schwaegrichen,  attended  to  the  publication,  and  the  title  it 
bore  is  as  follows :  "  Synopsis  Fungorum  Carolinse  Superioris 
Secundum  Observationes  "  Ludovici  Davidis  de  Schweinitz. 

In  this  year  he.  was  called  to  a  meeting  of  his  brethren 
at  Herrnhut,  and  on  his  wa}^  there  he  visited  England, 
France  and  Holland.  At  these  places  he  visited  learned 
men,  and  established  correspondences  that  were  of  great 
advantage  to  him  subsequently.  Some  time  after  his  return 
in  1821,  he  published  a  pamphlet  containing  descriptions 
of  seventy-eight  hepaticae.*  In  the  same  year  he  sent  to 
Silliman^s  Journal  (V,  p.  48  (1821)  pp.  31),  a  monograph  on 
the  genus  Viola.  At  the  end  of  this  year  he  was  located  in 
his  native  village  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  both  to  continue  his 
church  duties,  and  to  take  charge  of  the  institution  for  the 
education  of  females. 

His  herbarium  was,  in  the  meantime,  rapidly  increasing, 
his  correspondence  widening,  and  the  value  of  his  work  was 
appreciated ;  this  resulted  in  his  election  to  several  societies 
of  natural  history  in  America  and  Europe.  In  1823  he 
worked  up  the  botanical  collections  of  Say,t  in  Long's 
expedition,  though  he  did  this  with  great  reluctance, 
regretting  the  absence  of  Nuttall,  who  had  previously 
agreed  to  undertake  the  task.     Near  the  close  of  this  vear 


*1821.  De  Schweinitz,  Specimen  Flora?  America'  Septentrionalis  Cn/ptoijamicce, 
sislens  Muscos  hcpaticos  hucusque  in  America  septentrionali  observatos.  Raleigh.  Octavo, 
27  pp. 

1 1824.  A  Catalogue  of  Plants  Collected  in  the  North  Western  territory  by 
Mr.  Thomas  !Say,  in  the  year  1823,  in  Major  Stej^hen  H.  Lonu  Expedition  to  the 
Source  of  St.  Peter's  River.  Philadelphia.  Octavo.  Vol.  II  of  the  narrative  by 
W.  H.  Keating,  pp.  379-480. 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  131 

De  Schweinitz  presented  to  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  at 
New  York,  a  paper  containing  instructions  for  determining 
the  American  species  of  carex.  In  1824  he  published  in 
the  American  Journal  of  Science  a  short  paper  on  the  "  Rarer 
Plants  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania."*  In  this  year,  also,  his 
"  Monograph  of  North  American  Carices  "  f  appeared,  but 
previous  to  its  publication,  he  had  placed  it  in  the  hands  of 
Torrey,  De  Schweinitz  having  been  called  for  the  third  time 
to  Europe.  He  said,  on  his  return,  that  "  the  judicious  and 
elaborate  amendments  he  had  proposed,  and  the  mass  of 
new  and  valuable  matter  he  had  added,  entitled  Dr.  Torrey 
to  a  participation  in  the  authorship  of  the  work." 

While  he  was  absent  (in  1824)  in  Europe,  his  paper, 
"  Descriptions  of  a  Number  of  New  American  Species  of 
Sphferia,"  was  published  by  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of 
Sciences.  He  continued  his  mycological  work  on  his  return, 
having  given  up  the  superintendency  of  the  literary 
institution.  He  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  his  synopsis  of 
North  American  fungi  (  "  Synopsis  Fungorum  in  America 
Borealia  Media  Digentum " ),  designed  for  a  European 
journal,  but  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Philo- 
sophical Society  at  Philadelphia,  in  1831.  His  health, 
heretofore,  ver}^  good,  now  began  to  fail.  The  great  amount 
of  work  and  care  on  account  of  his  official  station,  and  the 
composition  of  a  dissertation  on  the  affairs  of  his  community 
deprived  him  of  his  usual  out-door  exercise,  depressed  his 
cheerful  spirit  and  fatally  undermined  his  health.  A  trip 
to  Indiana  on  church    duties  seemed  to  revive  him  for  a 

*  List  of  Rarer  Plants  Found  Near  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  2  pp.  8  vo.  Silli- 
man's  Journal,  VIII,  p.  267. 

1 1824.  A  Monograph  of  the  North  American  Species  of  the  Genus  Carex. 
Edited  by  John  Torrey.  New  Vork.  Octavo  p.  283-373,  6  tab.  Annals  of  New  York 
Lyceum.    I,  p.  283. 


132  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

time.  But  his  strength  gradually  declined  until  the  Stli  of 
February,  1834,  when  he  died  calmly  and  unconsciously,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 

De  Schweinitz  was  of  higli  stature,  erect  carriage  and 
robust  habit.  He  had  an  unusually  amiable  and  attractive 
disposition,  which  made  him  a  general  favorite  with  high 
and  low.  His  conversational  powers  were  of  a  high  order, 
and  contributed  much  to  an  ease  of  intercourse  which  was 
an  important  factor  of  his  usefulness.  Humor,  anecdote 
and  repartee  were  always  at  his  command,  while  the  varied 
and  exciting  scenes  through  which  he  had  passed,  and  the 
prominent  personages  with  whom  he  had  come  in  contact 
furnished  him  with  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  interesting 
reminiscences.  Strange  to  say,  considering  his  German 
extraction,  he  was  devoid  of  any  appreciation  for  music. 
He  spoke  and  wrote  English,  German,  French  and  Latin, 
and  was  also  acquainted  with  Greek. 

Among  his  well-deserved  honors  was  the  naming  after 
him  of  Schweinitzia  odorata  (sweet  pinesap),  by  Stephen 
Elliott.  This  is  a  small  plant,  found  from  Maryland  south- 
ward, and  bears  a  spike  of  flesh-colored  flowers  which  exhale 
the  odor  of  violets. 

De  Schweinitz  bequeathed  his  collection  of  plants  to 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  It 
comprised  twenty-three  thousand  species  of  phonerogams, 
and  many  thousand  cryptogams.  A  large  portion  of  the 
specimens  were  from  the  most  remote  parts  of  the  world, 
having  been  obtained  by  exchange  with  American  and 
European  explorers.  They  included  the  "  Baldwin  Collec- 
tion "  from  Florida,  Brazil  and  La  Plata  which  De 
Schweinitz  had  bought,  and  in  which  he  had  found  three 
thousand  species  not  before  in  his  herbarium. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  16o 

JOHN  LYON. 

We  know  little  of  the  early  history  of  John  Lyon,* 
who  introduced  a  number  of  important  species  of  plants 
into  English  gardens  (viz. :  Nyssa  Ogeche  in  180f3.)  He  was 
probably  the  son  of  William  Lyon,  of  Gillogie,  in  Forfar- 
shire, Scotland,  who  was  afterward  a  merchant  in  London. 
Lyon  came  to  America  toward  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
for  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  famous  gardens  at  Wood- 
lands, in  Philadelphia,  the  property  of  William  Hamilton, 
in  1802.  He  remained  in  this  position  until  1805  when 
Frederick  Pursh  took  charge.  In  the  following  year  Lyon 
sent  to  England  a  large  collection  of  Hying  plants 
and  seeds,  which  were  sold  at  auction  near  London.  It  is 
evident  he  soon  returned  to  America,  as  he  devoted  several 
years  to  exploring  the  Carolinas,  Georgia  and  Florida, 
returning  in  1812  to  England  with  another  collection  of 
plants.  Again  Mr.  Lyon  returned  to  America,  and  died 
before  1818,  at  Asheville,  N.  C,  where  he  was  buried. 

A  number  of  species  of  Andromeda  were  formed  by 
Thomas  Nuttall  into  the  genus  Lyonia,  which  commemorates 
"  the  name  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Lyon,  an  indefatigible 
collector  of  North  American  j^lants,  who  fell  a  victim  to  a 
dangerous  epidemic  amidst  those  savage  and  romantic 
mountains  which  had  so  often  been  the  theatre  of  his  labors."  f 
It  was  stated  by  Rev.  Mr.  Curtiss  to  Dr.  Asa  Gray  that  a 
portion  of  his  herbarium  and  his  journal  were  preserved  at 
Asheville,  where  he  thinks  they  may  still  be  found. J 


*1893.     Sargent,  Silva  of  North  America,  V  :  SO. 

t  Nuttall,  Genera  1 :  266. 

X  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  XLII  :  10.  Prof.  Thomas  Meehan  tells 
me  that  it  Is  doubtful  if  the  herbarium  is  preserved,  but  that  the  McDowell  family 
possess  many  things  left  by  Lyon. 


134  THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

WILLIAM  DARLINGTON. 

William  Darlington  *  was  bom  near  the  ancient 
village  of  Dilworth,  now  called  Dilworthstown,  in  Birming- 
ham township,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  April  28, 
1782. 

His  great  grandfather,  Abraham  Darlington,  the  son  of 
Job  and  Mary  Darlington,  of  Darnhall,  in  Cheshire,  Eng- 
land, came,  whilst  a  young  man,  with  his  brother,  John,  to 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  and 
settled,  at  first,  near  Chester.  He  soon,  however,  removed 
to  the  banks  of  the  Brandywine,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
above  Chadd's  Ford,  in  Birmingham  township,  where  he 
remained  till  his  death  in  1776.  The  grandfather  of 
William  Darlington,  Thomas  Darlington,  w^as  a  farmer,  and 
his  son  Edward,  father  of  William,  was  educated  a  farmer 
by  his  maternal  grandfather,  from  whom  he  received,  by 
will,  the  farm  in  Birmingham  township,  on  which  he 
was  reared.  He  married  Hannah,  a  daughter  of  John 
Townsend,  of  East  Bradford,  Chester  County,  by  whom  he 
had  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was  an  intelligent 
man,  self-educated,  and  exercised  a  considerable  influence 
amongst  the  citizens  of  his  county,  by  whom  he  was  several 
times  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature.  He  died 
in  1825.  His  eldest  son,  William,  was  early  inured  to  the 
severe  labors  of  agricultural  life,  and  when  old  enough  to 
drive  or  hold  the  plough,  was  kept  at  work  in  the  summer, 
and  only  permitted  to  go  to  school  in  the  winter  season. 
The  common  schools  of  that  day  were  lamentably  deficient 
as  compared  with  those  of  modern  times,  yet  he  succeeded 
in    obtaining   a   plain     English    education,    under    John 

*  Memorial  of  William  Darlington,  by  W.  T.,  printed  at  West  Chester  in  1S63. 
Also  see  The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  V,  pp.  157, 168, 182,  with  portrait. 


WILLIAM  DARLINGTON. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  135 

Forsythe,  an  Irish  friend,  one  of  the  best  teachers  of  that 
time  in  the  county. 

Becoming  tired  and  disgusted  with  the  drudgery  of 
farm  labor,  William,  after  much  difficulty,  induced  his 
father  to  permit  him  to  study  medicine.  With  this  view,  in 
the  spring  of  1800  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  John 
Vaughan,  a  respectable  physician  of  Wilmington,  in  the 
state  of  Delaware. 

Whilst  pursuing,  with  assiduity,  the  study  of  that  pro- 
fession which  he  had  selected  as  the  business  of  his  life,  he 
devoted  those  hours,  which  many  would  have  given  to  idle 
recreation,  in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  French 
language  under  a  private  teacher,  and  there  developed  a 
passion  for  the  study  of  languages,  Avhich  remained  with 
him  for  life,  and  enabled  him  subsequently  to  make  an 
excellent  and  satisfactory  acquaintance  with  the  French, 
Latin,  Spanish  and  German,  when  opportunity  was  afforded. 

In  the  winters  of  1802-3  and  1803-4,  William  Dar- 
lington attended  the  medical  lectures  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  on  the  6th  of  June,  1804,  he  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Whilst  preparing  his 
thesis,  after  the  close  of  his  second  course  of  medical 
lectures.  Doctor  Darlington  attended  the  botanical  lectures 
of  Professor  Benjamin  Smith  Barton,  and  thus  began  his 
first  acquaintance  with  that  science  whose  beauties  and 
pleasures  he  did,  in  later  years,  so  much  to  illustrate, 
and  in  so  successful  a  manner,  as  to  make  his  name  known 
and  respected  throughout  the  botanical  world. 

In  1806  Dr.  Darlington  received  the  appointment  of 
surgeon  to  an  East  India  Merchantman,  belonging  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  made  a  voyage  to  Calcutta,  whence  he  returned 


136  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

the  following  year.  He  availed  himself  of  the  leisure 
afforded  him  in  the  long  voyage  to  make  an  acquaintance 
with  some  of  the  best  works  then  extant  in  English  litera- 
ture. A  sketch  of  the  observations  during  this  voyage  was, 
some  years  afterwards,  published  in  the  form  of  familiar 
letters  in  the  Analedic  Magazine. 

In  the  year  succeeding  his  return  from  Calcutta,  he 
settled  in  West  Chester,  and  resumed  the  practice  of 
medicine,  and  was  soon  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  extensive 
and  profitable  business ;  for  on  the  first  of  June,  1808,  he 
w;)s  married  to  Catherine,  daughter  of  General  John  Lacey, 
of  New  Jersey,  an  officer  who  had  served  with  credit  and 
ability  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Always  anxious  for  self-improvement.  Dr.  Darlington 
commenced  the  German  language  about  that  time  under 
a  private  tutor,  and  soon  made  himself  sufficiently 
familiar  with  it  to  be  enabled  to  enter  into  the  spirit  and 
enjoy  the  beauties  of  the  great  writers  of  that  tongue. 

Feeling  as  much  interest  in  the  subject  of  general,  as 
well  as  of  self-education,  in  the  year  1811,  he  was  made  a 
trustee  and  secretary  of  the  West  Chester  Academy,  then 
about  to  be  built,  an  institution  which  gave  the  first  great 
impulse  to  popular  education  in  his  native  county,  and 
which  has  since  sent  forth  from  its  walls  men  who  have 
Ijecome  distinguished  in  literature,  science  and  the  arts,  and 
who  owe  their  success  in  life  to  tlie  knowledge  there 
received. 

When  the  war  with  England  broke  out  in  1812,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  with  other  young  men  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, offered  their  services  in  defence  of  the  altars  and 
firesides  of  their  country  in  case  of  invasion.  A  volunteer 
company  was  formed  and  drilled  at  AVest  Chester,  ready  to 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  137 

serve  when  called  upon,  and  in  September,  1814,  on  a 
requisition  by  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  for  volunteer 
troops  to  aid  in  the  protection  of  Philadelphia,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  threatened  by  the  enemy  then  in  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  he  went  to  the  camp  on  the  banks  of  the 
Delaware  as  an  ensign  in  the  "  American  Grays."  Having 
some  taste  and  skill  in  military  tactics,  the  regiment  hito 
which  his  company  was  incorporated  chose  him  major  of  the 
first  battaUon.  In  this  post,  he  served  until  the  corps  was 
disbanded. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  his  fellow-citizens  at  home, 
appreciating  his  work  as  a  physician,  a  friend  of  education, 
a  citizen-soldier,  and  an  enlightened  statesman,  elected  him, 
unsolicited,  a  member  of  the  14th  Congress.  In  1816,  in 
consequence  of  dissatisfaction  existing  toward  his  colleague 
in  another  county  (the  single  district  system  not  having 
been  then  adopted),  he  lost  his  election  by  the  small 
majority  of  seven  votes,  but  this  defeat  was  amply  atoned 
for  by  triumphant  elections  to  the  16th  and  17th  Congress, 
from  the  same  district.  During  his  second  term,  the  cele- 
brated Missouri  question  agitated  the  Union,  and  called 
forth  the  ablest  efforts  of  the  best  men  in  Congress.  On 
that  question  Dr.  Darlington  was  found  ranked  with  those 
who  were  desirous  to  restrict  slavery,  and  raised  his  voice 
in  an  able  and  excellent  speech  in  opposition  to  its 
extension.  The  Congressional  district  was  changed  in  1822 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  an  overwhelming  majority  to 
his  political  opponents.  Defeat,  under  such  circumstances, 
being  certain  to  the  Democratic  candidate,  Dr.  Darlington, 
under  a  sense  of  duty,  after  the  honors  conferred  by  his 
party,  asked  and  obtained  permission  to  decline  a  renomi- 
nation. 


138 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 


The  general  government,  however,  was  not  unmindful 
of  his  abilities,  and  the  Secretary  of  War  appointed  him 
visitor  to  AVest  Point,  and  acknowledged  his  services  on 
that  occasion  and  the  valuable  suggestions  in  his  report,  in 
the  warmest  manner. 

The  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in  1825  was 
aroused  by  the  booming  of  the  cannon  that  announced  the 
completion  of  that  great  work  of  internal  improvement, 
projected  by  De  Witt  Clinton,  and  executed  by  the  Empire 
State,  which  connected  the  great  lakes  with  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  She  then  commenced  her  own  grand  scheme  of 
canals  and  railroads  which  so  much  benefited  the  interior 
of  the  State.  Dr.  Darlington  was  one  of  the  members  of  the 
first  board  of  Canal  Commissioners,  and  was  associated  with 
such  men  as  Albert  Gallatin,  John  Sergeant,  Robert  W. 
Patterson  and  David  Scott,  whose  names  hold  a  distinguished 
place  in  our  country's  annals.  He  served  in  that  station 
two  years,  during  the  last  of  which  he  was  president  of  the 
board. 

The  duties  alluded  to,  however,  though  arduous  and 
exacting,  did  not  prevent  Dr.  Darlington  from  bestowing 
some  attention  to  natural  science,  and  indulging  his  taste 
for  botany.  In  1826,  in  conjunction  with  some  of  his 
intimate  friends,  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Chester 
County  Cabinet  of  Natural  Science,  of  which  institution  he 
was  president  from  its  origin ;  and  in  the  same  year  he 
published  "  Florula  Cestrica,"  being  a  catalogue  of  plants 
growing  around  the  borough  of  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania. 
The  arduous  duties  of  the  office  of  Canal  Commissioner, 
being  then  performed  gratuitously,  and  calling  him  away 
from  home  more  than  was  either  convenient  or  agreeable, 
he   resigned   that   office   the   next    year,   and   was   almost 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  139 

immediately  thereafter  appointed  Prothonotary  and  Clerk 
of  the  Courts  of  his  native  county,  by  his  pohtical  and 
personal  friend,  Governor  Shulze,  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  continued  to  discharge  until  1830.  Whilst  in  the 
office  of  Prothonotary,  Dr.  Darlington,  and  some  of  his 
medical  friends,  co-operated  and  formed  the  Medical  Society 
of  Chester  County,  an  institution  which  has  had  the  good 
effect  of  uniting  in  a  fraternal  union  almost  all  the  physi- 
cians of  the  county.  From  his  long  standing  in  his  pro- 
fession, and  the  skill  which  he  had  acquired  by  an  extensive 
practice,  Dr.  Darlington  was  unanimously  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  Society,  which  position  he  held  till  1852,  when 
he  resigned  and  was  immediately  elected  an  honorary 
member. 

In  1830  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Bank  of  Chester 
County,  of  which  institution  he  had  been  one  of  the 
commissioners  named  in  the  charter.  He  was  re-elected 
annually,  and  continued  in  that  station  to  his  death.  This 
bank  possessed  the  entire  confidence  of  the  community,  and 
its  notes  w^ere  eagerly  sought  after  in  preference  to  those  of 
other  banks  within  range  of  its  circulation.  These  happy 
results  were  mainly  due  to  the  financial  abilities  of  the 
president  and  his  old  and  long-tried  friend,  David  Town- 
send,  late  cashier  of  the  bank,  a  gentleman  who,  it  is  not 
improper  to  state,  Avas  associated  with  Dr.  Darlington  in 
nearly  all  of  the  public  enterprises  of  a  local  character  in 
which  the  latter  w^as  engaged.  Townsend  had  the  high 
compliment  paid  him  of  having  his  name  conferred  upon  a 
new  and  interesting  genus  of  Rocky  Mountain  plants,  by 
his  friend,  Professor  Hooker,  the  learned  and  talented 
Director  of  the  Pvoyal  Botanical  Gardens  at  Kew,  near 
London. 


140  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

A  similar  honor  was  conferred  on  Dr.  Darlington  in  1825, 
by  Professor  De  Candolle,  of  Geneva,  for  his  eminent 
services  to  botany.  The  genus  dedicated  to  him  by  De 
Candolle  did  not,  however,  prove  to  be  sufficiently  distinct 
to  maintain  its  place  as  an  independent  genus,  and  his 
friend,  Professor  Torrey,  of  New  York,  dedicated  to  him  a 
new  and  splendid  genus  (Darlingtonia)  of  California  plants, 
of  the  natural  order  Sarraceniacea?,  which,  from  its  rarity 
and  beauty,  constitutes  a  worthy  and  fitting  compliment  to 
an  industrious  laborer  in  the  agreeable  fields  of  botanical 
science.  In  1826  Dr.  Darlington  published  a  small  book, 
called  by  him  "  Florula  Cestrica,"  and  later,  in  the  year 
1837,  published  his  "  Flora  Cestrica,"  *  a  description  of 
the  flowering  plants  of  Chester  County,  which  was  a  new 
edition  of  his  former  work,  much  enlarged  and  greatly 
improved.  The  work  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete local  Floras  extant,  and  is  a  model  for  all  works  of  a 
similar  character.  The  first  addition  of  the  work  was 
arranged  according  to  the  Linneean  System  of  classification, 
but  the  Natural  System  was  adopted  for  the  later  editions. 
Conceiving  the  idea  of  assisting  the  farmers  of  our 
country  by  a  work  expressly  devoted  to  an  account  of  those 
plants  which  it  more  especially  concerns  them  to  know,  he 
prepared  and  published  in  1847  his  "  Agricultural  Botany,"  f 
in  which  he  described  in  plain  and  familiar  terms  not  only 
the  useful  cultivated  plants,  Ijut  all  those  which  a  careful 

"^  lS26—Moi-ula  Cestrica,  an  essay  towards  a  catalogue  of  the  jyhcenogamous 
plants,  native  and  naturalized,  growing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  borough  of  West 
Chester,  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  with  brief  notices  of  their  pro})erties  and 
uses  in  medicine,  rural  economy  and  the  arts.  West  Chester,  4  min.  pp.  xv,  152. 
3  tab.  col. 

Viol— Flora  Cestrica,  an  attempt  to  enumerate  and  describe  tJie  floivering  and 
Jilicoid  plants  of  Chester  County,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  8  vo.,  pp.  xviii, 
640, 1  map.  col. 

t  l^^l—  Agricultural  Botany,  an  enumeration  of  useful  plants  and  weeds. 
Philadelphia,  1847,  8  vo.,  pp.  Iviii,  270. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rHILADELrHIA.  141 

and  industrious  farmer  should  extirpate  from  liis  soil.  This 
work  was  one  of  great  practical  value,  and  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  its  influence  produced  a  beneficial 
effect  upon  husbandry,  not  only  in  Chester  County,  but 
elsewhere. 

The  deep  interest  he  always  felt  in  every  votary  of 
natural  science,  together  with  a  strong  personal  attachment 
for  a  friend,  induced  him  at  an  earlier  day  (about  1843)  to 
collect  together  the  letters,  memoranda,  etc.,  of  Dr.  William 
Baldwin,  a  native  of  his  own  county,  who  also  was  pas- 
sionately devoted  to  botany,  but  who  died  at  an  early  age 
while  on  the  expedition  up  the  Missouri,  under  Major 
Long.  These  remains  were  given  to  the  world  in  a  volume 
entitled  "  Reliquiae  Baldwinianae."  * 

The  pioneers  of  botany  in  Pennsylvania  were  Humphry 
Marshall  and  John  Bartram,  the  former  resided  near  West 
Chester,  the  latter  near  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Darlington  col- 
lected, in  1849,  such  portions  of  their  correspondence  as 
still  remained  in  existence,  comprising,  together  with  their 
own  letters,  those  of  many  eminent  botanists  of  the  day, 
and  published  them  in  one  large  volume,  with  illustrations 
of  their  homes,  under  the  title  of  "  Memorials  of  Bartram 
and  Marshall."  f 

This  correspondence  of  our  earlier  botanists  affords  a 
pleasant  insight  into  their  scientific  labors,  and  shows  the 
dangers  they  underwent  and  the  difficulties  they  had  to 
encounter  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  during 
their  expeditions  into  the  wilderness  in  the  prosecution  of 
their  favorite  science. 


*  IMS—Reliquice  Baldwiniance.  Philadelphia,  Kimber  et  Sharpless,  8  vo., 
346  pp.  effigies  Baldwini. 

i  1849— Memorials  of  John  Bartram  and  Humphry  Marshall,  with  notices  of 
their  botanical  contemporaries.  With  illustrations.  Philadelphia,  8  vo.,  585  pp.,  2 
tab.  and  autographs. 


142  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Darlington's  later  labors  in  the  cause  of  natural 
science  consisted  in  a  new  edition  of  the  "  Flora  Cestrica," 
revised  and  reconstructed  on  the  natural  method,  which 
system  is  now  adopted  by  scientists  at  the  present  day. 
Besides  this,  in  connection  with  some  of  the  liberal-minded 
men  of  his  neighborhood,  he  was  engaged  in  his  latter 
years  in  the  composition  of  a  work  descriptive  of  the 
Natural  History  of  Chester  County  in  all  its  branches. 
He  assumed  a  full  share  of  the  necessary  labor,  his  own 
portion  of  it  having  been  completed  and  ready  for  the  press. 

Having  always  been  a  devoted  patriot,  Dr.  Darlington 
dedicated  a  son,  Lieutenant  B.  S.  B.  Darlington,  to  his 
country's  cause,  as  an  officer  of  the  Navy,  who,  after  seven- 
teen years  of  active  service,  died  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in 
1845,  of  a  disease  contracted  during  the  first  cruise  of  our 
squadron  on  the  coast  of  Africa.  The  afflicting  loss  of  his 
son.  Lieutenant  Darlington,  was  soon  followed  by  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Darlington.  Soon  after  her  death  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  spring  of  1862  he  was  attacked  by  a  slight 
stroke  of  paralysis,  from  which  he  partially  recovered,  but 
with  some  prostration  of  his  physical  vigor.  This  was 
followed  in  the  early  part  of  1863  by  another  attack  of  the 
same  disease,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  gradually  sank, 
until  on  Thursday,  the  23rd  of  April,  1863,  aged  nearly  81 
years,  he  passed  away  with  his  mental  vigor  unimpaired. 

In  order  that  the  people  of  his  county  might  have 
the  benefit  of  his  materials.  Dr.  Darlington  bequeathed  his 
most  valuable  herbarium  of  plants,  and  all  his  botanical 
and  most  of  his  other  scientific  works,  to  the  Chester  County 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  143 

Cabinet  of  Natural  Science,*  on  whose  shelves  they  are 
designed  to  remain  as  a  rich  mine,  from  which  the  earnest 
students  of  nature  can  glean  most  precious  fruits.  He 
enjoyed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  friendship  of  the  best 
botanists  of  his  day,  and  his  correspondence  with  the 
distinguished  DeCandolle,  and  Sir  William  Jackson  Hooker, 
of  the  old  world,  and  Drs.  Gray  and  Torrey  of  the  new, 
attest  the  high  value  they  placed  on  his  contributions  to 
the  science  of  which  he  was  so  fond.  It  is  pleasant  to  know 
that  those  labors  have  been  properly  appreciated  by  men 
whose  commendations  are  of  value,  for  he  received  the 
highly  honorable  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  faculty  of  Yale 
College,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  more  than  forty 
literary  and  scientific  associations,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  Botanical  Society  of  the  Netherlands,  at 
Leyden. 

His  mortal  remains  rest  in  a  quiet  and  shady  spot, 
selected  by  himself,  in  the  beautiful  Oaklands  Cemetery, 
near  those  of  his  friends,  the  gallant  Major  Barnard,  and 
the  brave  young  Captain  Evans,  the  patriots  and  soldiers  of 
former  wars,  where  the  hand  of  affection  will  cause  to  be 
realized  his  wish  inscribed  upon  the  stone  above  his  grave : 


"Plantse  Cestrienses 

quas 

dilexit  atqiie  illustravit 

Super  Tuniulum  ejus 

Semper  floreaut."  f 


,  T.  w^^^  Botanical  Gazette,  V.  90,  where  Josiah  Hoopes  states  that  the  collections 
XV  .'■^.''  ^^'^^^^t^°  '^^•^  ^a^'i^  Townseud  are  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the 
Uest  Chester  Slate  Normal  School. 

^Memorial  of  miliam  Darlington,   M.  D.,  by  W.  T.     May  21    1863     West 
Chester,  E.  J.  James,  book  and  job  printer,  1863. 


144  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

CHARLES  J.  WISTER. 

Charles  J.  Wister  was  born  in  1782,  dying  July  23rd, 
1865.  Elected  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  in  1811,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  its  welfare.*  He 
was  a  friend  and  contemporary  of  Thomas  Xuttall,  with 
whom  he  botanized.  His  son,  W.  Wynne  Wister,  was 
taken  by  him  to  hear  ^Ir.  Xuttall's  lectures  in  the  German- 
town  Academy,  where  he  received  an  inspiration  for  the 
science  which  lasted  a  lifetime. 

CONSTANTINE  SAMUEL  RAFINESQUE   [SCHMALTZ]. f 

PerhajDs  no  American  botanist  has  been  so  misrepre- 
sented and  misunderstood  as  Constantino  Samuel  Rafinesque. 
Vain,  ambitious  and  eccentric  to  the  last  degree,  he  was  the 
first  teacher  of  science  west  of  the  Appalachians,  and  one  of  the 
pioneer  naturalists  of  the  United  States.  Though  a  volumi- 
nous writer  in  French,  Italian  and  English,  on  all  kinds  of 
subjects,  including  religion,  ethnology,  sociology  and  natural 
science,  his  publications  were,  in  the  main,  quite  limited  in 
the  number  of  copies,  and  are  now  mostly  rare.  In  the 
bibliographical  list  given  in  the  sumptuous  quarto  of  Dr. 
Call,  nearly  450  titles  are  quoted  of  articles,  pamphlets  and 
books  written  by  Rafinesque,  of  which  141  are  on  botanical 
subjects.  Most  of  them  are  rubbish,  pure  and  simple,  and 
yet  it  must  be  said  that  American  botany  owes  him  a  great 
deal  more  than  modern  systematists  generally  admit. 


*  For  a  short  obituary  notice,  see  Tlie  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  VII, 
p.  271. 

"^  Asa  Gray  Bulletin,  Vol.  IV,  No.  1.,  p.  6.  Most  of  the  material  for  this 
article,  by  G.  H.  Hicks,  was  obtained  from  the  "  The  Life  and  Writings  of  Rafinesque." 
No.  10,  Filson  Club  Publications.    Richard  Ellsworth  Call,  Louisville,  Ky.,  1895." 

Botanical    GazeWe  VIII :  177, 191.     Garden  and  Forest,  l\:  l-iQ. 

Popular  Science  Monthly,  1886,  p.  212.    Science,  N.  S.,l:  384. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  145 

Rafinesque  was  born  near  Constantinople,  October  22, 
1783,  his  Either  being  a  French  merchant,  his  mother  of  Ger- 
man parentage.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  various  parts  of 
Europe,  principally  near  Marseilles,  France,  and  in  Sicily. 
Though  an  omnivorous  reader,  claiming,  in  his  usual 
exaggerated  way,  to  have  read  one  thousand  books  before 
twelve  years  of  age,  his  schooling  was  very  desultory, 
owing  largely  to  the  roving  character  of  his  father,  from 
whom  Rafinesque  inherited  tlie  same  disposition.  In  his 
earliest  childhood  he  became  greatly  interested  in  animals 
and  plants.  Frequent  walks  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mar- 
seilles gave  him  opportunity  to  make  observations  on 
natural  history.  At  this  time  he  made  a  small  botanic 
garden,  and  also  began  the  study  of  fishes,  birds,  shells  and 
crabs,  drawing  and  making  notes  of  many  of  them.  Like 
Darwin,  he  could  not  bear  to  kill  animals,  but  preferred  to 
study  them  alive. 

At  an  early  age  (1802)  he  emigrated  to  this  country, 
accepting  a  clerkship  in  Philadelphia,  but  his  roving  disposi- 
tion and  his  desire  to  study  nature  precluded  the  idea  of  busi- 
ness success.  Returning  to  Sicily  he  pursued  various  scientific 
studies,  but  in  1815  he  concluded  to  make  the  United  States 
his  permanent  home.  When  ofi*  the  coast  of  Long  Island 
the  ship  on  which  he  sailed  foundered,  and  all  of  his 
collections  were  lost. 

In  1818  he  made  a  trip  down  the  Ohio  to  Kentucky, 
collecting  a  great  many  specimens  on  the  way.  At  this 
time  he  stopped  three  weeks  with  Audubon,  who  was  not 
altogether  pleased  with  the  eccentric  performances  of  his 
guest.  For  several  years  Rafinesque  was  professor  of 
modern  languages  and  natural  science  in  the  Transylvania 


146  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

University  at  Lexington,  Ky.  During  his  term  he  explored 
nearly  all  the  accessible  portions  of  Kentucky  and  many 
places  in  Tennessee.  As  a  teacher  he  was  very  absent- 
minded  and  the  butt  of  many  jokes  perpetrated  by  the 
students.  He  seemed  to  shun  society,  wore  ill-fitting  clothes, 
and  paid  little  attention  to  his  personal  appearance. 

In  1825  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  and  made  col- 
lecting trips  in  nearly  all  of  the  middle  Atlantic  states,  also 
studying  the  mountain  flora  of  the  northern  Appalachians. 
His  closing  years  were  passed  in  the  most  abject  poverty, 
without  friends.  He  lived  in  a  garret  in  a  house  on  the 
south  side  of  Race  (Vine  ?)  Street,  near  Fourth  or  Fifth, 
peculiar  on  account  of  the  entrance  with  high  steps,*  sur- 
rounded by  his  books,  minerals,  plants,  and  other  scientific 
collections.  Here  he  died  in  1840,  and  now  lies  in  an 
obscure  grave  in  Ronaldson's  cemetery,  at  the  corner  of 
Kinth  and  Catharine  Streets. 

He  left  a  characteristic  will,  in  which  he  complains 
bitterly  of  what  he  thought  to  be  the  ill-treatment  given 
him  by  American  scientists.f  His  personal  effects  consisted 
of  eight  dray-loads  of  books  and  natural  history  specimens, 
most  of  which  had  been  lost  or  destroyed.  A  few  specimens 
found  their  way  into  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I 
others  are  in  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Sciences. 

Most  of  his  botanical  writings  are  scattered  in  news- 
paper and  magazine  articles,  though  he  published  several 
more  pretentious  works,  among  them  being  a  flora  of 
Louisiana,  based  entirely  on  the  reports  of  two  non-scientific 

*  The  Gardeners'  Monthly  (Meehan),  X,  p.  253  (1868). 

t  See,  for  account  of  will,  Garden  and  Forest,  IV,  p.  146. 

X  Mr.  Thomas  Meehan  tells  me  that  the  herbarium  of  Rafinesque  came  Into 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Isaac  Burk,  who  presented  it  to  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  it  ought  to  he  found.    Search,  however,  has  so  far  not  revealed  it. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  147 

travelers.  Rafinesque,  himself,  never  saw  any  of  the  j^lants 
mentioned  in  this  work,  but  this  did  not  deter  him  from 
publishing  therein  thirty  new  genera  and  196  new  species. 

This  eccentric  botanist  was  a  passionate  lover  of  nature 
and  had  very  lofty  scientific  ambitions,  together  with  an 
inordinate  desire  to  see  his  own  name  attached  to  plant 
binomials.  Many  of  his  erratic  ways  are  to  be  attributed 
to  his  desultory  early  training.  He  was,  however,  a  keen 
observer  and  no  mean  thinker.*  In  1833,  twenty-six  years 
before  "  Darwin's  Origin  of  Species  "  appeared,  Rafinesque 
had  already  pointed  out  the  fact  of  evolution,  though  at  the 
time  nearly  all  scientists  believed  in  the  fixity  of  species. 

He  received  many  honors  from  various  learned  societies, 
and  his  reputation  as  a  scientist  extended  throughout 
Europe.  The  genus  Rafinesquia  (Nuttall)  of  the  Compositae, 
and  Opuntia  Rafinesqxdi,  Engelmann,  commemorate  his 
name  among  plants. 

Among  the  genera  founded  by  Rafinesque,  which  are 
universally  accepted  by  American  botanists,  may  be  men- 
tioned :  Adlumia,  Cladrastis,  Cymopterus,  Osmorrhiza  ( Wash- 
ingtonia),Lepachijs  {Ratibida),  Erechtites,  Steironema,  Ihjsanthes, 
Blephilia,  Clintonia,  Pelfandra  and  Eatonia.  The  last  edition 
of  "  Gray's  Manual "  recognizes  nineteen  of  his  genera,  while 
the  recent  "  Check  List "  of  the  Botanical  Club  of  North 
America,  covering  the  same  territory,  credits  him  with 
fort3^-seven  in  all.  In  Britten  and  Brown's  "Illustrated 
Flora,"  fifty  of  Rafinesque's  genera  are  recognized. 

Rafinesque  was  quicker  to  discover  the  relationships  and 
difference  among  plants  than  most  of  his  contemporaries. 

*  A  history  of  the  portraits  of  Rafinesque  will  be  found  in  Call's  "  The  Life 
and  Writings  of  Constantine  Samuel  Rafinesque,  pp.  64,  67. 


148  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

His  collections  in  the  virgin  flora  of  the  Appalachians 
turned  up  many  new  forms.  Unfortunately,  however, 
working  so  much  by  himself,  and  with  what  seems  an 
inordinate  zeal  to  found  as  many  new  genera  and  species  as 
possible,  he  w^as  particular  about  neither  the  source  nor  the 
extent  of  his  information,  and  went  into  the  business  of 
species  and  genus  making  in  the  most  wholesale  manner. 

His  descriptions  were  hastily  written  and  brief,  con- 
sisting often  of  mere  transcriptions  of  field  notes,  and  many 
of  them  were  based  on  the  most  unreliable  data,  hence  his 
work  has  caused  almost  infinite  trouble  among  systematists, 
both  in  botany  and  zoology.  Had  such  an  opportunity  for 
comparison  of  plants  in  diff"erent  herbaria  been  aff'orded 
him  as  now  exists,  he  would  have  escaped  a  great  many 
errors.  In  forming  an  estimate  of  his  work,  due  allowance 
should  be  made  for  his  lack  of  scientific  training,  his  sur- 
roundings, and  the  crude  state  of  science  in  his  time. 

Enumeration  of  papers  "^  by  Rafinesque  : 

Magazine  Articles 144 

Books  and  Pamphlets 39 

Kafinesque's  Magazines  . 3 

Original  Articles  in  Last 233 

Manuscripts 1 

Total  titles 420 

To  this  summary  may  be  added  : 

Reprints 17 

Translations 7 

Books  and  Oversheets 3 

Grand  total 447 

*  For  full  enumeration  and  bibliographical  details,  see  Prof.  Call's  book. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  149 

JOHN  EATTON  LE  CONTE. 

John  Eattoii  Le  Conte  *   was  born  near  Shrewsbury, 
New  Jersey,  February  22,  1784,  and  died  in  Philadelphia, 
November  21, 1800.    His  residence  was  partly  in  New  York, 
where   he   was   educated   at   Columbia   College,   partly   in 
Georgia,  where  his  father  possessed  a  large  tract  of  property 
in  Liberty  County.     His  family  was  of  Huguenot  descent, 
his  ancestor,  William,  having  left  Normandy  on  the  revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  to  join  the  army  of  William, 
afterwards  King  of  England.     Thence  coming  to  America 
he  settled  in  New  York,  about  the  year  1692.     His  son, 
Peter  Le  Conte,  was  a  highly  esteemed  physician  in  the 
lower  part  of  New  Jersey,  and  married  Valeria,  a  daughter 
of  John  Eatton,  of  Shrewsbury,  among   whose  numerous 
descendants  may  be  counted  some  of  our  most  eminent 
citizens.     From  an  early  age  his  two  sons,  John  Le  Conte 
and  his  brother  Louis,  showed   a  great  love   for  natural 
history  and  the  observation  of  animals  and   plants.     As 
young  men  they  spent  several  years  in  Georgia,  where  they 
cultivated   their   father's    plantation    and    occupied    their 
leisure  in  the  pursuit  of  science.     Here  it  was  that  they 
established  a  botanical  garden,  mentioned  frequently  by 
the  earlier  travelers  in  the   United  States.     This  love   of 
nature  and  the  observation  of  its  phenomena  has  pervaded 
almost  all  the  members  of  the  Le  Conte  family.     About  the 
year  1817  John  Le  Conte  entered  the  army  of  the  United 
States  as  Captain  of  Topographical   Engineers,  and  after 
serving  ten  years  received  the  customary  brevet  as  Major; 
but  finding  his  health  shattered  by  exposure  during  an 
exploration  of  the  St.  John's  River  in  Florida,  undertaken 

*  ms     A.  Gray. -Botanical  Gazette,  VIII,  197.    A  painting  of  Le  (^onte  is  in 
tlie  library  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 


150  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

in  the  line  of  duty,  he  made  a  journey  to  Paris  in  1827, 
where  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  many  of  the  most 
eminent  men  of  science  there,  and  with  whom  he  subse- 
quently kept  up  a  correspondence.  In  1832  or  1833  he 
resigned  his  commission  in  the  army,  and  lived  the  retired 
life  of  an  invalid  in  New  York,  until  1852,  when  he  moved 
to  Philadelphia. 

His  contributions  to  botanical  and  zoological  science 
were  published  mostly  in  the  Annals  of  the  Lyceum  of 
Natural  History  of  Neiu  York,  and  in  the  Proceedings  of 
the  Acad&iuy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  from 
1852  to  1860.  His  extensive  and  valuable  herbarium, 
wdiich  had  been  carefully  reviewed  by  the  older  botanists  of 
the  country,  was  presented  to  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia  in  1852,  and  was  followed  shortly 
after  his  death  by  a  large  collection  of  fresh  water  mollusca 
of  the  United  States,  containing  many  original  specimens 
of  species  first  observed  by  him. 

No  separate  botanical  work  bears  his  name  as  author, 
nor  any  in  zoology  that  we  know  of,  except  one  on 
American  Lepidoptera,  published  in  connection  with  M. 
Boisduval.  But  the  Eoyal  Society's  "  Catalogue  of  Scientific 
Papers  "  records  the  title,  place  and  date  of  publication  of 
thirty-five  of  them,  eleven  of  which  are  botanical.  Several 
of  these  are  monographs.  The  earliest  on  the  "  United  States 
Species  of  Paspalum,"  was  published  in  the  year  1820 ;  three 
others,  namely,  those  on  Utricularia,  Gratiola  and  Ruellia,  all 
in  1824;  those  on  Tillandsia  and  Viola  in  1826;  that  on 
Pancratium  in  1828.  He  was  a  keen  but  leisurely  observer 
and  investigator,  and  still  more  leisurely  writer.  He  was 
a  man  of  very  refined  and  winning  manners,  of  scholarly 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  151 

habits  and  wide  reading,  of  an  inquiring  and  original  turn 
of  mind,  the  fruitfuhicss  of  which  was  subdued  by  chronic 
invalidism.  When  he  went  to  Paris  he  took  with  him  his 
herbarium,  which  for  that  time  was  unusually  rich  in 
plants  of  Lower  Georgia  and  Florida,  and  we  remember  his 
remark  that  his  botanical  acquaintances  there  made  very 
free  use  of  his  permission  to  help  themselves  to  the  dupli- 
cates. There  is  reason  to  think  that  the  remains  of  it  went 
to  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  He  is 
the  father  of  the  two  Le  Contes  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

THOMAS  NUTTALL. 

Thomas  Nuttall  "^  was  born  in  17SG,  in  the  town  of 
Settle  in  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  England,  in  humble 
circumstances.  At  an  early  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  an 
uncle,  a  printer  by  trade,  either  in  his  native  town  or  in 
Liverpool,  where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  several 
years,  until  he  went  to  seek  employment  in  London. 

When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  sailed  for  America, 
landing  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  studious  young  man, 
knowing  the  history  of  his  country,  familiar  with  some 
branches  of  natural  history  and  even  with  Latin  and  Greek. 
It  is  thus  recorded  in  the  biographical  sketch  of  Nuttall, 
read  by  Elias  Durand  f  before  the  American  Philosophical 
Society : 

"When,  in  1824,  Professor  Torrey  was  preparing  for 
publication  his  '  Flora  of  the  Northern  and  Middle  States,' 

*  Popular  Science  Monthly,  XLVI  (189r>),  689,  from  which  the  main  facts  are 
gleaned.  See  also  The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan).  IV,  p.  21,  for  biography  to 
accompany  the  frontispiece  in  that  journal,  drawn  on  stone  by  M.  S.  Parker;  L.  X. 
Rosenthal,  Lithographer. 

t  Proc.  Amer.  Philos.  Soc,  VII,  125. 


152  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

which  he  dedicated  to  his  friend  Thomas  Nuttall,  with  high 
compHments,  the  printer  who  was  engaged  upon  it  asked 
the  professor  who  was  that  Xuttall  so  frequently  referred  to 
in  his  work,  adding  that  he  had  once  worked  with  a  printer 
oi  that  name,  who  spent  the  greatest  part  of  his  time  in 
reading  books,  and  he  would  not  be  surprised  if  he  were  the 
same  man.  Professor  Torrey  rejoined  that  his  surmise  was 
correct;  the  printer  of  former  times  had  proved  a  most 
arduous  laborer  in  the  field  of  science,  and  was  now  a 
distinguished  botanist  and  an  officer  of  one  of  the  first 
scientific  institutions  of  the  country." 

It  seems  that  Nuttall  was  ignorant  of  the  tenets  of 
botany  when  he  landed  in  the  United  States.  He  used  to 
tell  the  following  stor}?-  of  himself.  AValking  in  the  fields 
outside  of  Philadelphia  the  morning  after  his  arrival,  he 
noticed  a  common  green-brier  (Smilax  rotundifolia).  "  Egad !  " 
he  said,  "  there  is  a  passion-flower,"  and  he  cut  some  portions 
of  it,  which  he  brought  home  for  study.  His  friends  at  the 
boarding-house  could  not  satisfy  him,  but  referred  him  to 
Professor  Barton,  whose  residence  was  near.  With  his  spec- 
imen Nuttall  called  upon  Dr.  B.  S.  Barton,  who  received 
him  courteously,  and  explained  the  diff'erence  between  the 
genera  Smilax  and  Passiflora.  Noticing  the  intelligent  inter- 
est of  the  young  man,  Professor  Barton  taught  him  some  of 
the  general  principles  of  botany.  This  lesson  made  Nuttall 
a  botanist,  and  Barton  became  his  friend  and  patron.  It 
was  then  eai^ly  spring,  and  during  the  next  season  Nuttall 
took  frequent  rambles,  eagerly  gathering  specimens,  which 
he  carried  to  Barton,  who  showed  him  how  to  prepare 
them  for  the  herbarium.  Later,  he  extended  his  excursions, 
going  down  into  the  lower  part  of  the  peninsula  between 


THOMAS    NUTTALL. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  153 

Delaware  and  Chesapeake  Bays,  and  then  to  the  coasts  of 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

About  this  time  he  met  Jolni  Bradbury,  a  Scotch  natu- 
ralist, who  had  come  to  America  to  collect  objects  of  natural 
history.  Later,  Bradbury,  accompanied  by  Xuttall,  left 
Philadelphia  for  the  far  West.  Proceeding  to  St.  Louis,  they 
left  that  city  on  the  last  day  of  December,  1809,  crossed  the 
Kansas  and  Platte  Rivers,  passed  through  the  Mandan 
villages,  where  Lewis  and  Clark  had  wintered  during 
1804-05,  and  ascended  the  Missouri  River  still  higher, 
returning  after  a  journey  full  of  the  greatest  fatigues  and 
dangers,  well  recompensed  by  materials  and  information. 

Nuttall  spent  the  next  eight  years  in  Philadelphia, 
during  the  winter  months  overhauling  and  studying  the 
collections  made  by  him  in  summer  excursions  to  various 
parts  of  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  from  Florida 
to  the  Great  Lakes.  As  a  close  student,  naturally  reserved, 
Nuttall's  social  intercourse  was  limited.  Prof  Barton, 
Zaccheus  Collins,  Reuben  Haines,  M'Mahon,  for  whom  he 
named  his  genus  Mahonia,  William  Bartram,  and  Colonel 
Carr,  were  almost  his  only  acquaintances.  A  room  was 
expressly  reserved  for  him  in  Colonel  Carr's  house.  Durino- 
this  time  he  prepared  the  descriptions  for  his  "  Genera  of 
the  North  American  Plants."  * 

The  reputation  of  Mr.  Nuttall,  as  a  botanist,  prin- 
cipally rests  upon  this  work  printed  in  1818.  Prof.  Torrey, 
in  the  preface  to  his  Flora,  declared  that  the  "  Genera  "  of 
Nuttall  had  contributed  more  than  any  other  work  to 
advance   the   accurate   knowledge   of    the    plants    of   this 

*  1818.  Nuttall— r/ie  genera  of  North  American  plajits,  and  a  catalogue 
of  the  species  to  the  year  1817.  Philadelphia,  2  vols.,  octavo.  I:  viii  312  pp  II- 
254,  14  pp,  ' 


154  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

country.  Xuttall,  turning  his  earh^  trade  to  account,  set 
the  type  for  the  greater  part  of  the  book. 

In  1817  Mr.  Xuttall,  already  a  Fellow  of  the  Linna^an 
Society  of  London,  was  elected  a  corresponding  member  of 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  and  a 
member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  One  of  his 
earliest  papers  in  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  being  a 
description  of  ColUnsia,  a  new  genus  of  plants,  named  in 
honor  of  his  friend  and  patron,  Zaccheus  Collins. 

Xuttall  wished  to  visit  the  Arkansas  country,  and 
soon  after  his  '•'  American  Plants "  was  published,  ]\Iessrs. 
Correa  da  Serra,"^  Z.  Collins,  William  Maclure  and  John 
Vaughan,  secured  the  funds  necessary  for  this  long  journey. 
Leaving  Philadelphia  on  October  2,  ISIS,  he  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River  about  the  middle  of  January, 
and  Fort  Bellepoint  on  April  24th.  He  returned  with 
abundant  collections. 

On  returning  to  Philadelphia  early  in  the  spring  of  1820, 
he  immediately  began  the  study  of  his  Arkansas  collections, 
preparing  an  account  of  his  journey  into  the  interior  of 
Arkansas  in  1818  and  1819,  which  he  published  in  the 
following  year.  He  contributed  several  memoirs  to  the 
Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  (1820-1822), 
among  them  being  one  "  On  the  Serpentine  Pocks  of 
Hoboken  and  the  Minerals  which  they  Contain  " — for  he 
was  a  mineralogist  as  well  as  botanist.     He  also  lectured  on 


*  Correa  da  Serra  (Jos6  Francisco),  born  at  Serpa,  Portugal,  in  1751.  At 
the  time  of  the  reunion  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Lisbon  he  was  made  perpetual 
secretary  (1779).  After  a  rather  checkered  career  in  France  and  Portugal,  he  lived  as 
a  refugee  in  London,  where  he  published  a  number  of  important  botanical  papers. 
In  1813  he  took  a  voyage  to  the  United  States ;  then  was  named  Ambassador  of 
Portugal  to  the  United  States.  He  died  in  1823.  See  Baillox,  Dictionaire  de 
Botanique,  from  which  this  sketch  is  taken.  A  painting  of  him  is  in  the  library  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  155 

botany  to  classes  of  young  men.  As  a  lecturer  Nuttall  was 
not  remarkable  for  eloquence,  but  he  always  imparted  to 
his  hearers  something  of  his  own  passion  for  botany. 

Mr.  Nuttall  was  called  to  Harvard  College  at  the  end 
of  1822.  The  endow^ment  not  being  sufficient  to  support 
a  professor,  he  was  appointed  curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden, 
with  light  duties  of  instruction,  so  that  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  was  devoted  to  study  and  to  the  culture  of  rare 
plants.  In  Cambridge,  as  well  as  in  Philadelphia,  he  led  a 
retired  life."^ 

Mr.  Nuttall  became  dissatisfied  with  his  position  at 
Cambridge,  because  he  considered  that  he  was  vegetating. 
At  this  time  James  Brown,  who  was  probably  his  only  inti- 
mate friend  at  Cambridge,  suggested  to  Nuttall  that  he  write 
a  book  on  ornithology.  He  began  with  great  energy,  and 
in  1832  produced  his  "  Manual  of  the  Ornithology  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada,"  in  two  volumes  of  about  six 
hundred  pages  each  and  illustrated  with  excellent  wood-cuts. 
While  at  Cambridge  he  contributed  papers  to  various  scien- 
tific journals,  and  issued  a  text-book  entitled  "  An  Introduc- 
tion to  Systematic  and  Physiological  Botany.f 

Mr.  Nuttall  visited  Philadelphia  in  1833,  with  a  collec- 
tion of  plants  gathered  by  Captain  Wyeth  during  an  overland 
journey  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Captain  Wyeth  was  about  to 
start  on  a  second  expedition,  for  the  Columbia  Fishing  and 
Trading  Company,  and  Nuttall  wished  to  accompany  him. 
Not  being  able  to  obtain  a  sufficiently  long  leave  of  absence 
from  his  duties  as  Curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Cam- 
bridge, he  resigned  his  position  and  spent  the  time  before 

*  See  remarks  of  Mrs.  Asa  Gray  in  editing  the  papers  of  lier  husband. 
tl827.    Nuttall — A71  introduction  to  systematic  and  physiological  botany. 
Cambridge.    Billiard  and  Brown,  octavo,  XII :  360  pp.,  12  tab. 


156  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

his  departure  in  studying  Wyeth's  collections  and  his  own 
Arkansas  plants. 

Nuttall  and  John  K.  Townsend,  sent  out  jointly  by  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  and  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  joined  Captain  Wyeth's  party  at  Independence, 
Missouri,  from  which  place  they  started  April  28,  1834. 
The  account  of  the  journey  is  given  in  Townsend's  "Narrative 
of  a  Journey  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Columbia 
River,"  etc.  On  September  3d,  they  began  to  descend  the 
Columljia,  reaching  Fort  A^ancouver.  Here  the  two  natu- 
ralists remained  for  the  rest  of  the  autumn  exploring  the 
surrounding  country.  Later,  desiring  to  pass  the  winter 
months  in  a  warmer  climate,  they  took  passage  on  a  Boston 
brig  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  they  arrived  January 
5,  1835. 

Nuttall  remained  two  months  collecting  plants  and 
shells,  and  then,  separating  from  his  companion,  sailed  for 
California.  He  spent  the  spring  and  summer  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  then  returned  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  sailing 
home  on  a  Boston  vessel  returning  by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 
He  arrived  home  in  October,  1835,  and  lived  in  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  studied  the  rich  collections  made  on  his 
long  journey.  Two  important  memoirs,  the  fruits  of  the 
trip  across  the  continent,  were  published  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

"  Nuttall  Avas  a  remarkable-looking  man.  His  head 
w^as  very  large,  l)ald,  and  bore  signs  of  a  vigorous  intellect ; 
his  forehead  was  expansive,  but  his  features  small,  and  his 
gray  eyes  looked  out  from  under  fleshy  brows.  His  com- 
plexion was  fair,  and  sometimes  very  pale  from  close 
application  to  study  and  lack  of  exercise.     He  was  above 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  157 

medium  height,  his  person  stout  with  a  slight  stoop,  and 
his  walk  peculiar  and  mincing,  resembling  that  of  an 
Indian."  * 

Nuttall  returned  to  England  in  December,  1841,  where 
he  resided  for  the  remaining  seventeen  years  of  his  life. 
An  uncle  who  had  prospered  in  business,  having  no  family, 
left  to  him  an  estate  called  Nutgrove,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Liverpool.  Nuttall,  according  to  the  conditions  of  the 
bequest,  was  to  reside  in  England  at  least  nine  months  of 
the  year.  He  had  been  thirty-four  years  in  the  United 
States,  so  that,  although  he  had  visited  England  in  1811, 
and  in  1822,  returning  to  reside  permanently  in  the  land 
of  his  birth  was  a  hardship  to  our  much-traveled  botanist. 
He,  therefore,  hesitated  for  some  time  before  accepting  the 
new  responsibilities,  but  consideration  for  his  sisters  and 
their  families  finally  induced  him  to  accept  the  property. 

Shortly  before  leaving  the  United  States,  Nuttall  wrote 
a  supplement  to  Michaux's  Silva  in  three  volumes.f  The 
work  appeared  in  1842-1854. 

Nuttall  returned  to  America,  stopping  in  Philadelphia 
during  the  last  three  months  of  1847  and  the  first  three  of 
1848,  and  while  here  he  studied  at  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  the  plants  brought  by  Dr.  William  Gambel,  from 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Upper  California,  and  prepared 
a  paper  on  them  which  was  published  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

*  For  the  anecdotes  concerning  Mr.  Nuttall's  peculiar  ways,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  Elias  Durand's  account.  See  also  Popular  Science  Monthly,  XLVI  (1895), 
p.  689. 

t  1842-1854.  Nuttall— r/ie  North  American  8ilva,  or  a  description  of  the 
forest  trees  of  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  not  described  in  the  work 
of  Francois  Andre  Michaux,  and  containing  all  the  forest  trees  discovered  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  territory  of  Oregon  doivn  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  into 
the  confines  of  California,  as  well  as  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  illustrated 
by  122  finely  coloured  j^lates.  Philadelphia.  J.  Dobson,  3  vols.,  impr.  octavo,  XII: 
13,  123,  148  pp.;  ind.  tab.  col.,  1-121. 


158  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

His  death  occurred  on  September  10, 1859.  In  opening 
a  case  of  plants  received  shortly  before  from  ^Ir.  Booth  he 
overstramed  himself,  and  from  that  time  steadily  declined 
until  his  death  on  September  10,  1859.  His  love  of  nature 
was  great,  and  this,  joined  with  untiring  industry  and  great 
firmness  of  purpose,  had  raised  him  from  the  position  of  an 
unknown  artisan  to  the  foremost  rank  of  American  men  of 
science.  Elias  Durand  said  of  him  immediately  after  his 
death :  "  No  other  explorer  of  the  botany  of  North  America 
has  personally  made  more  discoveries;  no  writer  on  American 
plants,  except  perhaps  Prof.  Asa  Gray,  has  described  more 
new  genera  and  species."  His  name  is  memorialized  in  a 
genus  of  rosaceous  plants,  Nuttallia. 

Bibliography.* 

1.  "Observations  on  the  genus  Eriogonum,  and  the  natural  order 
Polygonete." — Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  I  :  24,  33. 

2.  "An  account  of  two  new  genera  of  Plants  ;  and  of  a  species  of 
Tillsea,  and  Limosella,  recently  discovered  on  the  hanks  of  the  Delaware,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia." — Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  I  :  111. 

3.  "Description  of  Collinsia,  anew  genus  of  plants." — Journal  Aca- 
demy Natural  Sciences,  I  :  189. 

4.  "Description  of  rare  plants  recently  introduced  in  the  gardens  of 
Philadelphia." — Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  II  :  179. 

5.  ' '  Observations  on  the  genus  Oryzopsis. " — Journal  Academy  Natural 
Sciences,  III  :  125. 

6.  "  Remarks  on  the  species  of  Corallorhiza  indigenous  to  the  United 
States." — Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  III  :  135. 

7.  "Description  of  two  genera  of  the  natural  order  Crucifera?." — 
Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  V  :  132. 

8.  "  Observations  on  a  species  of  Anemone  of  the  section  Pulsatilla 
indigenous  to  the  United  States." — Journal  Academy  Natural  Sciences, 
V  :  158. 


*  For  complete  bibliography  see  Popular  Science  Monthli/. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  159 

9.   "  Plants  collected  in  East  Florida.^ '—SiUiman's  Journal,  V  :  286. 

10.  "Description  of  a  new  species  of  Sarracenia." — Trans.  American 
Philosophical  Society,  N.  S.,  IV  :  49. 

11.  "Collections  towards  a  Flora  of  the  Territory  of  Arkansas." — 
Trans.  American  Philosophical  Society,  X.  S.,  V  :  139. 

12.  "  Descriptions  of  Plants  collected  by  William  Gambel,  M.  D.,  in 
the  Eocky  Mountains  and  Upper  California." — .Journal  Academy  Natural 
Sciences,  N.  S.,   I  :  149. 

13.  "A  Manual  of  the  Ornithology  of  the  United  States  and  of 
Canada.     The  Water  Birds."     Boston,  1834,  octavo  pp.  vii,  627. 

The  same.     Second  Edition  with  additions.     "The  Land  Birds." 
Boston,  1840,  pp.  viii,  832. 

14.  "A  Journal  of  Travels  into  the  Arkansa  Territory  during  the  year 
1819,  with  occasional  Observations  on  the  Manners  of  the  Aborigines." 
Illustrated  by  a  Map  and  other  engravings.    Philadelphia,  1821,  pp.  xii,  296. 

15.  "Descriptions  of  new  species  and  genera  of  plants  in  the  natural 
order  Compositse,  collected  in  a  tour  across  the  Continent  to  the  Pacific,  a 
residence  in  Oregon,  and  a  visit  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  California, 
during  the  years  1834  and  1835." — Trans.  American  Philosophical  Society, 
1841,  X.  S.,  YII  :  283-453. 

16.  "Descriptions  and  notices  of  new  and  rare  plants  of  the  natural 
orders,  Lobeliaceie,  Campauulacese,  YaccinieiTe  and  Ericacea?,  collected  in  a 
journey  across  the  Continent  of  North  America,  and  during  a  visit  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  Upper  California." — Trans.  American  Philosophical 
Society,  N.  S.,  VIII,  p.  251-272. 

17.  "On  the  Serpentine  Rocks  of  Hobokeu,  and  the  Minerals  which 
they  contain. " — Sill iman^s  Journal,  IV  :  16. 

18.  "  Observations  and  Geological  Remarks  on  the  Minerals  of  Paterson 
and  the  Valley  of  Sparta,  'i:^ew  Jevsej.^^—Silliman^s  Journal,  V  :  239. 

DR.  WILLIAM  P.  C.  BARTON. 

Dr.  William  P.  C.  Barton  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
November  17,  1786.  He  was  descended  from  Rev.  Thomas 
Barton,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  who  came  to  xVmerica 
under  the  patronage  of  the  Penn  family,  and  married  in 
Philadelphia  the  sister  of  David  Rittenhouse,  the  celebrated 


160  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

mathematician  and  astronomer,  and  first  President  of  the 
Philosophical  Society.  One  of  his  sons,  Dr.  Benjamin 
Smith  Barton,  held  the  chair  of  Materia  Medica,  Natural 
History  and  Botany  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
Another  son,  William  Barton,  Esc|.,  member  of  the  Bar, 
was  the  father  of  Dr.  AVilliam  P.  C.  Barton. 

Dr.  William  P.  C.  Barton  received  his  classical  educa- 
tion at  Princeton  College.  He  graduated  with  distinction 
at  an  early  age  and  immediately  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  under  his  uncle,  Dr.  B.  S.  Barton,  and  graduated 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  ISOS.  The  subject  of 
his  graduation  thesis  was  deemed  worthy  of  publication. 

After  graduating  Dr.  Barton  commenced  practicing  in 
Philadelphia ;  he  was  surgeon  at  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital, 
and  shortly  afterward,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  and  Dr.  Physick,  was 
appointed  surgeon  in  the  Xavy.  He  was  for  many  years  on 
active  duty,  and  distinguished  himself,  not  only  by  his 
ability  in  the  treatment  of  diseases,  but  by  his  great  skill  in 
the  performance  of  difficult  and  delicate  operations. 

During  his  releases  from  sea  service  he  was  not  content 
to  pass  his  time  unemployed,  but  devoted  himself  with 
great  professional  ardor  to  the  publication  of  various  works, 
which,  at  the  time,  acquired  considerable  reputation. 
Among  others,  his  work  on  "  Marine  Hospitals  "  (published 
in  1814),  his  "  Vegetable  Materia  Medica,"  and  "  Flora  of 
North  America,"  with  drawings  from  nature,  made  by 
himself  and  colored  by  his  wife  (published  in  1817  and 
1818),  his  translations  of  a  number  of  treatises  were  exten- 
sively circulated,  and  gained  for  their  author  considerable 
celebritv. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  161 

He  was  chosen  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  Dr.  S.  D.  Gross  speaks  of  him  as  a  remark- 
able man,  highly  educated,  learned  in  his  profession,  a 
graceful  lecturer,  an  able  writer,  and  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  botanists  in  America.  Dr.  Gross,  during  his 
first  summer  in  Philadelphia,  attended  Dr.  Barton's  botani- 
cal class,  and  his  botanical  excursions  along  the  banks 
of  the  Schuylkill,  visiting  Bartram's  conservatories,  or 
rambling  about  in  the  open  field  in  search  of  specimens. 
In  these  excursions  Dr.  Barton  was  always  in  his  happiest 
mood.  He  experienced  as  great  delight  in  the  discovery 
of  a  new  plant  as  Audubon  did  at  the  sight  of  an  unde- 
scribed  bird.     He  was,  in  fact,  a  botanical  enthusiast. 

He  gave,  for  three  years,  instruction  in  materia  medica 
in  the  Jefferson  Medical  School,  founded  in  1825  by  Dr. 
McClellan,  when  he  was  ordered  by  the  Navy  Department 
to  New  York,  and  became  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery.  In  this  position  he  was  able  to  serve  his 
country  with  great  advantage  and  saving  to  the  Treasury, 
but,  unfortunately,  with  little  increase  in  popularity  to 
himself.  He  introduced  many  reforms,  corrected  and 
abolished  many  abuses,  secured  the  warm  commendations 
and  approval  of  the  government,  but  the  hearty  ill-will  and 
bitter  persecution  of  those  whose  interests  or  hopes  were 
disappointed  by  his  fidelity.  Unwilling  to  incur  the  storm 
of  persecution  to  which  he  was  thus  subjected,  he  resigned 
his  position  as  head  of  the  Bureau,  but  held  his  post  in  the 
navy  until  his  decease,  which  took  place  in  the  City  of 
Philadelphia,  February  29,  1856. 

He  was  buried  at  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery  with  military 
honors.     At  the  time  of  his  death  Dr.  Barton  had  been  for 


162  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

some  Years  the  senior  surgeon  on  the  roll  of  the  navy.  He 
had  in  early  life  many  personal  attractions  and  accomplish- 
ments. He  retained,  even  to  advanced  age,  a  great  love  for 
music  and  great  conversational  powers.  His  character  was 
a  happy  combination  of  qualities  which  attracted  all  and 
repelled  none.  Of  great  courage  without  any  bravado,  of 
affability  without  servility,  of  true  warm-hearted  benevo- 
lence, his  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  were  well  calculated 
to  secure  lasting  friends  among  the  good  and  true.  He 
married  in  early  life  Esther,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Dickin- 
son Sergeant,  Esq.,  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar,  and 
granddaughter  of  David  Rittenhouse. 

Dr.  W.  P.  C.  Barton  was   the  author  of  the  following 
works : 

Flora?  Philadelphicis  Prodromus,  plantarum  quae  hactenns  exploratte 
fuere,  quseque  in  ipso  opere  ulterius  describentur,  exhibens  enumerationem, 
or  Prodromus  of  the  Flora  of  Philadelphia,  exhibiting  a  list  of  all  the  plants 
to  be  described  in  that  AAork,  which  have  as  yet  been  collected.  Phila- 
delphia, :\Iaxwell,  1815.    4.  100  pp. 

Some  account  of  a  plant  used  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  as 
a  substitute  for  chocolate,  Holcus  bicolor  AVilld.  Philadelphia,  Palmer, 
1816.     Octavo,  8  pp. 

Vegetable  ^Materia  3Iedica  of  the  United  States,  or  JNIedical  Botany  ; 
containing  a  botanical,  general,  and  medical  history  of  medicinal  plants 
indigenous  to  the  United  States.     Philadelphia,  Carey,  1817-18.     2  vols.  4. 

I  :  XV,  273  pp.     II  :  xvi,  243  pp.,  50  tab. 

Compendium  Florae  Philadelphica?,  containing  a  description  of  the 
indigenous  and  naturalized  plants  found  within  a  circuit  of  ten  miles 
around  Philadelphia.     Philadelphia,   Carey,    1818.     2  vols.  8.     I  :  251  pp. 

II  :  234  pp.  ;   ib.  1824. 

A  Flora  of  North  America.  Illustrated  by  coloured  figures  draAvn 
from  nature.  Philadelphia,  Carey  &  Son.  3  vols.  4.  I  :  1821,  xix,  138  pp., 
138  pp.,  tab.  col.  1-36.  With  portrait  of  author  as  frontispiece.  II  :  1822, 
X,  107  pp.,  tab.   col.   37-70.     Ill  :  1823,  vii,  100  pp.,  tab.  col.  71-106. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  163 

Outlines  of  Lectures  on  Materia  ^Nledica  and  Botany.  2  vols.,  12mo, 
Phila<lelphia,  1828.     I  :  24G.     II  :  291. 

Syllabus  of  the  Lectures  Delivered  on  Vegetable  Materia  Medica  and 
Botany  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia.  Printed  for  the 
use  of  the  classes.     J.  R.  A.  Skerrett,  1819. 

Letter  to  the  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  relative  to 
introducing  the  Professorship  of  Botany  into  the  INIedical  Faculty. 


DAVID  TOWNSEND. 

David  Townsend,'*'  son  of  Samuel  and  Priscilla 
Townsend,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Pughtown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  13, 1787.  He  Avas  brought  up  as  a  farmer, 
but  in  1810  was  appointed  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Register 
and  Recorder  of  Chester  County  ;  in  1817  was  appointed 
Cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Chester  County,  and  so  continued 
until  1849,  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of 
an  accidental  injury  which  he  received  on  the  head,  and 
which  finally  caused  his  death  on  December  6,  1858.  He 
belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  commanded  the 
respect  of  the  community  to  a  very  large  extent.  He 
became  interested  in  the  subject  of  botany  in  early  life,  and 
in  1826  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chester  County 
Cabinet  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  held  the  office  of  secretary 
and  treasury  in  that  Society  from  its  origin  until  his  health 
failed.  He  w^as  a  correspondent  of  some  of  the  most 
prominent  botanists  of  the  day,  among  them  Sir  William 
J.  Hooker,  who  declared  to  a  friend  that  the  specimens  pre- 
pared by  David  Townsend  were  the  handsomest  that  he 
had  ever  seen.  In  1833  a  genus  of  plants  allied  to  the 
Asters  was   named    Toiunsendia,  in   compliment   to   David 

*  This  sketch  was  furnished  by  Edwin  A.  Barber,  of  West  Chester,  a  grandson 
of  Townsend.    See  for  an  other  account  The  Gardeners'  Monthly  (Meehan),  I :  p.  Gl. 


164  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Townsend.  Several  species  of  ToivnMndia  are  known,  the 
first  having  been  collected  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskat- 
chewan, by  Dr.  Richardson. 

When  Mr.  Townsend  resigned  from  the  bank,  the 
directors  presented  him  with  a  \)^iY  of  silver  pitchers, 
appropriately  inscribed,  and  surrounded  with  engraved 
representations  of  Townsendia.'^ 

Mr.  Townsend  was  an  ardent  horticulturist  and  greatly 
interested  in  the  cultivation  of  fruits  and  ornamental  plants. 
In  the  large  grounds  adjoining  his  residence  he  planted 
many  foreign  and  rare  species  of  plants,  some  of  which 
still  survive.  He  was  an  industrious  collector,  and  traveled 
over  the  entire  county  many  times  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
chosen  science.  He  rendered  very  efficient  assistance  to 
Dr.  William  Darlington  in  the  preparation  of  his  Flora 
Cestrica.  Mr.  Townsend  was  a  member  of  the  little  circle  of 
distinguished  botanists  of  his  time,  which  included  Dr. 
Darlington,  Joshua  Hoopes  and  others.  Among  his  close 
friends  were  the  distinguished  botanist,  W.  J.  (?)  Bromfield, 
and  Dr.  Short,  of  Kentucky. 

JOSHUA    HOOPES. 

Joshua  Hoopes  was  born  in  Westtown  Township, 
Chester  County,  Pa.,  December  2,  1788,  the  son  of  Joshua 
and  Hannah  (Martin)  Hoopes.f  In  early  life  he  evinced  an 
earnest  desire  for  scientific  study,  and  although  the  oppor- 
tunity for  instruction  at  that  period  was  exceedingly 
limited,   he    nevertheless    devoted   all   his   spare   time   to 

*  The  only  portrait  of  David  Townsend  published  was  from  an  original  steel 
engraving  which  appeared  on  the  bank  notes  of  the  Chester  County  National  Bank, 
between  1850  and  1860.  It  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Barber  for  this  book,  but  the  portrait 
was  crowded  out  for  lack  of  space. 

t  A  sketch  furnished  by  Josiah  Hoopes  of  West  Chester.  Pa. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  1G5 

original  observation  and  research.  He  was  among  the  first 
pupils  admitted  to  Friends'  Westtown  Boarding-School,  and 
there  laid  the  foundation  for  his  remarkable  attainments 
that  were  so  noticeable  in  his  later  years.  After  teaching 
in  some  of  the  district  schools  of  Delaware  County,  he 
opened  a  popular  boarding-school  in  Downington,  Chester 
County,  where  he  continued  until  the  year  1836  or  1837, 
when  he  removed  to  West  Chester,  and  followed  the  same 
pursuit  for  many  years.     His  death  occurred  May  11,  1874. 

Joshua  Hoopes  was  twice  married :  first  to  ^Mary  Garri- 
gues,  of  Kingsessing,  now  Philadelphia,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children,  none  of  whom,  however,  outlived  him  ;  and 
second,  to  Rachel  Bassett  of  Wilmington,  Delaware,  a  lady 
of  rare  botanical  attainments,  and  who  in  every  sense 
of  the  word  proved  a  help-meet  to  her  devoted  husband. 
Descending  from  a  long  line  of  Quaker  ancestors,  he  was 
himself  a  consistent  member  of  the  religious  Society  of 
Friends,  being  imbued  with  the  principles  of  that  sect  from 
his  earliest  years,  and  was  at  all  times  outspoken  in  his 
views  regarding  the  evil  customs  and  practices  of  the  world. 
In  fact,  he  was  a  living  example  of  the  lessons  he  taught 
to  others,  and  a  fearless  champion  of  the  right  on  all 
occasions. 

As  a  scientist,  he  was  especially  noticeable  for  his 
knowledge  of  botany  and  astronomy,  although  well  versed 
in  many  other  branches.  He  once  remarked  to  the  writer, 
that  his  love  for  botany,  ornithology  and  astronomy  was 
about  equally  divided,  but  that  he  had  chosen  the  first  as 
his  life-work,  as  a  careful  study  of  the  second  entailed  much 
suffering  to  the  birds,  and  his  finances  were  insufficient  to 
procure  suitable  instruments  for  prosecuting  his  investiga- 


166  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

tions  with  the  third.  Joshua  Hoopes  was  one  of  a  botanical 
triumvirate  residing  in  West  Chester,  whose  reputation  was 
not  alone  confined  to  this  country.  With  such  associates 
as  Dr.  William  Darlington  and  David  Townsend,  botany 
received  an  impetus  and  a  practical  helping-hand  that 
served  to  advance  the  science  with  rapid  strides. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  made  a  specialty  of  the 
ligneous  flora  that  came  under  his  notice,  leaving  in  a  great 
measure  to  his  associates  the  elaboration  of  other  plants. 
His  intimate  acquaintance  with  our  trees  and  shrubs,  and 
the  structure  of  each,  was  really  marvelous,  as  he  rarely 
erred  in  his  determination  of  a  species,  or  its  proper  classifi- 
cation. Indeed,  a  large  portion  of  the  descriptions  of  trees 
embraced  in  "  Flora  Cestrica,"  ostensibly  the  work  of  Dr. 
Darlington,  were  really  from  the  pen  of  Joshua  Hoopes. 
His  memory  was  good,  and  even  when  advanced  in  years 
he  could  not  only  recall  the  names  of  all  our  trees,  but 
could  without  hesitation  explain  the  distinctions  existing 
between  allied  forms.  He  was  remarkably  firm  in  his 
opinions,  when  once  convinced  of  their  truthfulness,  although 
open  to  conviction  should  he  be  in  error. 

Professor  Buckley  honored  him  with  the  name  of  what 
was  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  new  genus  of  Texan  trees,  but 
subsequent  research  developed  the  fact  that  the  name  could 
not  stand,  so  '^Hoopesia^'  was  dropped,  much  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  many  of  his  friends  who  felt  that  his  services  to 
botany  should  receive  some  lasting  tribute.  Dr.  Gray, 
therefore,  named  a  composite  species  of  the  Rocky  ]\Ioun- 
tains,  Helenium  Hoopesii. 

As  a  pedestrian,  his  power  of  endurance  is  worthy  of 
notice,  as  when  in  pursuit  of  specimens,  his  trips  of  twenty 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  167 

or  more  miles  were  accomplished  with  apparently  little 
fatigue.  Of  a  slight  though  rugged  physique,  aided  by 
perfect  health,  and  a  very  abstemious  life,  his  favorite  walks 
were  undertaken  when  even  beyond  the  allotted  age  of 
three  score  and  ten,  and  few  of  his  associates  poss'^essed 
sufficient  vigor,  or  cared  to  accompany  him  on  a  long  day's 
tramp. 

ABIGAIL   KIMBER. 

Abigail  Kimber,  of  Kiml)erton,  Pennsylvania,  was  a 
friend  and  correspondent  of  William  Darlington,  and  her 
name  in  acknowledgment  of  plants  found  in  her  neighbor- 
hood, occurs  in  '^  Flora  Cestrica."  She  was  an  admirable 
and  inspiring  teacher,  to  use  the  words  of  Graceanna  Lewis, 
who  was  one  of  her  pupils. 

JOHN    EVANS. 

John  Evans  was  born  in  Radnor  Township,  Delaware 
County,  on  February  13,   1790,  and  died  on   the  loth  of 
April,  1862.*     He  was  the  son  of  David  and  Adah  Evans. 
On  the  side  of  his  father,  his  ancestors  were  thoroughly 
Welsh,  while  on  that  of  his  mother  they  were  partly  so. 
His  mother  died  in  1800,  and    his  father  six  years  later. 
John  Evan's  early  education  was  limited,  though  he  received 
rather  more  than  was  usual  at  that  time  in  the  neighbor- 
hood.    Though  there  was  a  mill  on  the  patrimonial  estate, 
he  preferred  going  to  a  larger  establishment  to  learn  the' 
business  of  milling,  which  he  had  selected  for  an  occupation 
in  life.     After  he  had  learned  the  trade  thoroughly,  he  was 
employed^  as  manager  of  a  large   flour   mill,  then   (1812) 

*  1S(J2.    Geo.  Smitk— History  of  Delaware  Co.,  459. 


168  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

recently  erected  on  the  Hudson  River,  near  the  present  city 
of  Troy.  Here  he  remained  three  years,  much  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  employers. 

After  his  return  from  Troy  he  resumed  the  milling 
business  at  the  homestead  mill,  and  in  1819  married  Ann, 
the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Brown,  of  Radnor,  by  whom  he 
had  six  children. 

He  subsequently  engaged  in  the  business  of  sawing 
lumber  for  the  Philadelphia  market,  which  he  continued 
to  do  until  near  the  close  of  his  life. 

Up  to  about  the  year  1827  or  1828,  though  industrious 
in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  John  Evans  had  not  shown 
a  great  preference  for  any  particular  branch  of  science. 
About  this  time  he  received  a  visit  from  his  kinsman, 
Alan  ^Y.  Corson,  of  Plymouth,  Montgomery  County,  who 
was  on  his  return  home,  with  his  daughter,  from  the  West- 
town  boarding-school.  The  visitors  remained  over  night, 
and  had  with  them  a  copy  of  Dr.  Darlington's  "  Florula 
Cestrica,"  then  lately  published  and  used  in  AVesttown 
School.  This  was  the  first  knowledge  John  Evans  had  of 
any  work  descriptive  of  our  local  flora.  He  had  then  some 
practical  acquaintance  with  plants  and  their  culture,  but  it 
was  the  opportune  visit  of  his  relative  Corson,  and  this  early 
publication  of  Dr.  Darlington,  that  first  opened  the  way  for 
him  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  botany  systematically. 
From  this  time  until  the  close  of  his  life,  the  study  of 
botany  became  with  him  a  primary  occupation. 

The  tastes  of  his  visiting  kinsman  were  congenial 
with  his  own.  They  often  visited  each  other,  and  frequently 
made  botanical  excursions  together.  What  one  had  acquired 
was  freelv  communicated  to  the  other,  till  they  both  became 


JOHN  EVANS. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rillLADKLPHIA.  1G9 

familiar  with  all  the  plants  in  the  neighborhood,  with  per- 
haps the  excej)tion  of  some  of  the  most  inconspicuous.  The 
culture  of  rare  plants  around  his  dwelling  commenced  and 
progressed  with  his  study  of  botany.  Annual,  or  more 
frequent  visits  were  paid  to  the  old  Bartram  Botanic  Garden 
— then  in  possession  of  Colonel  Carr — and  to  other  gardens 
in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  The  supply  from  this 
source  was  soon  exhausted  when  he  turned  his  attention 
to  Europe,  entered  into  a  correspondence  with  Sir  William 
J.  Hooker,  Director  of  the  Gardens  of  Kew,  near  London, 
and  by  forwarding  to  that  learned  botanist,  annually,  for 
many  years,  seeds  and  specimens  of  American  plants,  fre- 
quently obtained  by  long  journeys  and  much  labor,  he 
received  in  return,  new  and  often  very  rare  plants  from 
various  parts  of  the  world,  scarcely  obtainable  from  any 
other  source  by  purchase.  During  part  of  the  period  occu- 
pied by  this  correspondence.  Dr.  Hooker,  the  son  of  Sir 
William,  made  a  botanical  tour  to  the  Himalaya  Mountains, 
in  Asia.  Seeds  from  that  almost  unexplored  region,  many 
of  them  produced  by  unknown  plants,  were  forwarded  to 
John  Evans.  He  bestowed  a  great  amount  of  labor  and 
care  upon  the  propagation  of  plants  from  these  seeds. 
Besides  Professor  Hooker,  he  for  a  time  had  a  correspondent 
in  Germany.  He  also  had  a  number  of  correspondents  in 
difiPerent  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  most  of  his  rare 
American  plants  were  collected  by  himself  during  his 
frequent  botanical  tours.  These  tours  were  generally  made 
to  mountainous  regions. 

The  premises  of  John  Evans  afforded  no  suitable 
grounds  for  an  extensive  garden  specially  designed  for 
show  and  ornament,  and  vet  it  is  doubtful  wliether  another 


170  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

spot  of  the  same  extent  presented  such  a  great  variety  of 
plants.  There  was  a  place  on  these  grounds  for  plants  of 
every  habit,  and  every  plant  was  found  in  the  best  place  for 
its  propagation  and  growth.  On  the  densely  wooded  hill- 
side, north  of  the  dwelling,  were  found  magnificent  rhodo- 
dendrons, and  other  mountain  shrubbery  and  herbaceous 
plants,  natives  of  the  Himalayas,  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the 
Adirondacks,  the  Catskills  and  the  Alleghanies,  growing 
side  by  side,  and  mingling  their  gaudy  colors  and  rich 
perfumes  in  deep-shaded  seclusion,  moistened  by  the  spray 
from  the  adjacent  cascade  of  the  mill-pond.  Below,  upon  a 
flat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  was  an  arenaceous 
alluvial  deposit.  Here  was  found  the  well-known  "  sand 
garden "  of  the  late  proprietor,  and  clustered  within  it  a 
great  number  of  species  from  New  Jersey,  and  many 
strangers  from  similar  soil  in  more  remote  regions.  The 
arid  rocky  hills  were  covered  with  pines,  and  other  Coniferse 
of  the  rarest  species.  The  damp  ravine  had  its  miniature 
cane-brake;  the  artificial  pond  its  odoriferous  water  lilies 
and  other  aquatics.  Every  border  was  crowded  with  its 
appropriate  specimen  of  rare  and  curious  productions  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  brought  together  from  remote  parts  of 
the  earth.  Every  nook  and  corner  had  a  fitting  tenant, 
whose  right  of  occupancy  no  horticulturist  could  question. 
In  this  planting,  John  Evans  observed  no  order  but  the 
order  of  nature.  A  large  proportion  of  the  labor  required 
for  the  care  and  cultivation  of  this  vast  collection  of  plants 
was  performed  by  the  hands  of  their  late  owner.  But  time 
and  labor  were  economized  in  every  possible  way  consistent 
with  proper  culture.  The  saw-dust  from  his  mill  was  used 
extensively  around  the  growing  plants  to  smother  weeds. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  171 

This  soon  decayed  into  a  rich  vegetable  mould  that  pro- 
moted the  growth  of  the  plant,  and  soon  enabled  it  to  take 
care  of  itself 

The  extent  of  the  Evans  collection  is  not  known.  Xo 
catalogue  of  it  was  ever  published.  In  the  number  of 
distinct  species  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  this  collection  ma}^ 
without  doubt,  be  set  down  as  unrivalled  in  John  Evans' 
day,  w^hile  in  herbaceous  plants  it  had  very  few  equals.  To 
many  of  the  rare  trees  and  shrul^s,  appro2)riate  leaden  labels 
were  attached. 

With  John  Bartram  and  Humphry  Marshall,  John 
Evans  completed  a  trio  of  self-taught  American  botanists, 
all  born  within  the  limits  of  old  Chester  County,  and  the 
first  and  last  within  the  bounds  of  the  present  County 
of  Delaware.  They  were  men  of  like  tastes,  and  were  alike 
in  their  industrial  and  frugal  habits.  They  w^ere  all  men 
of  the  strictest  integrity  and  highest  moral  worth,  and 
especially  were  they  alike  as  devoted  students  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom.  Each  reared  his  own  monument  in  the 
large  collection  of  growing  plants  he  left  behind  him. 

John  Evans  lived  in  an  age  when  botanical  knowledge 
was  more  readily  acquired,  and  rare  specimens  of  plants 
more  easily  collected  than  in  the  times  of  his  predecessors. 
Hence,  the  vastly  greater  extent  of  his  collection,  while  it  is 
so  highly  creditable  to  him,  is  no  disparagement  to  them. 
But  his  attention  was  not  confined  to  plants  alone.  He  had 
acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  mineralogy,  geology  and 
zoology.  On  the  27th  day  of  December,  1834,  John  Evans 
became  a  member  of  the  Delaware  County  Institute  of 
Science,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  study  of  these  sciences 
commenced  about  that  period. 


172  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

John  Evans  was  eminently  a  thinking  man.  He  was 
liberal,  almost  to  a  fault,  in  the  distribution  of  plants 
among  such  of  his  friends  as  he  believed  would  jDroperly 
care  for  them. 

The  garden,  which  exists  much  as  the  botanist  left  it,  is 
reached  from  Rosemont,  a  station  on  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road, by  following  Robert's  Road  to  the  far  side  of  Ithan 
Creek.  The  house,  rebuilt  in  1895-96,  is  on  a  hill  sur- 
rounded by  fine  trees,  which  John  Evans  planted.  The 
mill-race  plunges  over  in  front  of  the  house  in  a  small 
water-fall,  which  marks  the  site  where  the  mill  stood.  The 
spring-house  was  torn  down,  but  everything  else,  with  the 
exception  of  two  trees,  stands  as  in  the  botanist's  day. 
His  daughter  married  David  Paxson,  who  sold  the  property 
to  Dr.  James  M.  Harrison ,  who  in  turn  sold  it  to  AVilliam 
H.  Ramsey,  the  present  occupant.  Mrs.  Paxson  now  resides 
in  Xorristown,  Pennsylvania."^ 

DR.  JOHN  FOTHERQILL  WATERHOUSE. 

Dr.  John  Fothergill  AYaterhousef  was  born  at  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  in  1791,  and  received  his  classical  and 
the  rudiments  of  his  medical  education  at  Harvard  Univer- 
sity. The  pre-eminent  reputation  of  the  Medical  School  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  induced  him  to  complete 
his  medical  education  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  graduated 
as  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  the  spring  of  1813.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  studies,  and  at  the  solicitation  of  his 
friends,  he  fixed  his  permanent  residence  in  his  adopted 

*See  an  article  of  mine— "John  Evans  and  his  Garden"— in  Garden  and 
Forest,  X  :  1S2 ;  also  Mr.  Thomas  Meehan's  review  of  this  article  in  the  same  journal, 
p.  198. 

t  Journal  of  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  I  :  33. 


WOODS  AND  ITHAN  CREEK,  EVANS'  GARDEN. 


MILL  DAM  IN  EVANS'  GARDEN 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  173 

city,  and  soon  after  became  a  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences. 

Under  the  ausi^ices  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 
he  delivered,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Barnes,  during  the 
spring  of  1814  and  the  succeeding  spring  of  1815,  two 
courses  of  popular  lectures  on  botany.  Upwards  of  two 
hundred  ladies,  besides  a  considerable  number  of  gentlemen, 
attended  the  first  course,  and  the  audience  to  the  second 
was  still  more  numerous.  He  also  lectured  on  comparative 
osteology  and  ichthyology.  An  enthusiastic  attachment  to 
natural  history,  and  an  anxious  solicitude  for  honorable 
distinction,  prompted  him  to  intellectual  exertions,  incom- 
patible with  his  delicate  constitution,  naturally  disposed  to 
pulmonary  disease.  He  availed  himself  of  the  mild  winter 
of  a  southern  climate,  and  accordingly  left  Philadelphia 
never  to  return.  He  died  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
May  18,  1817,  aged  twenty-six  years. 

DANIEL  B.  SMITH. 

Daniel  B.  Smith  was  born  July  14, 1792.  He  received  his 
literary  education  in  the  school  of  John  Griscom,  at  Burling- 
ton, New  Jersey,  at  that  day  a  somewhat  famous  seminary. 
After  leaving  school,  he  studied  pharmacy  with  John 
Biddle,  in  Philadelphia.  Upon  acquiring  a  knowledge  of 
chemistry  and  practical  pharmacy,  he  was  for  a  while 
partner  of  his  preceptor,  and  after  his  decease,  which  soon 
occurred  after  Daniel  B.  Smith  became  of  age,  entered  into 
partnership  with  William  Hodgson,  a  man  of  considerable 
erudition. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Philadelphia  College 
of  Pharmacy,  and  for  twenty-five  years  its  president.     He 


17-i  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

was  one  of  the  three  citizens  who  originated  the  Apprentices' 
Library  of  Philadelphia,  in  1820.  He  was  among  the 
incorporators  of  the  old  Philadelphia  Saving  Fund,  and 
the  House  of  Refuge,  Philadelphia's  great  reform  school. 

Mr.  Smith  was  a  sincere  and  devoted  lover  of  science, 
and  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  the  Franklin  Institute,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania. 

After  leaving  college  he  withdrew  to  private  life,  and 
delighted  in  his  favorite  studies  of  botany  and  conchology, 
and  in  his  well-stored  library  in  Cottage  Row,  Germantown, 
passed  many  congenial  days  among  his  books.  He  died 
March  29,  18S3,  at  the  ripe  age  of  nearly  ninety-one  years. 
For  a  long  time  Daniel  B.  Smith  taught  at  Haverford 
College,  where  he  left  the  impress  of  his  character  on 
students  and  institution  alike. "^ 

ELIAS  DURAND. 

Elias  Durand  t  was  born  in  Mayence,  France,  June  25 
(Janvier?),  179-1,  and  died  on  the  loth  of  August,  1873. 
His  education  was  commenced  at  the  school  in  his  native 
village,  where  he  began  his  studies  preparatory  to  pharmacy 
which  he  took  at  Paris  in  1812.  He  served  in  the  medical 
corps  of  the  first  Napoleon  and  was  present  at  the  bloody 
battles  of  Lutzen,  Bautzen,  Hanau,  Katsbach  and  Leipzig. 
He  gathered  a  specimen  of  Menyanthes  trifoliata  amid  the 
roar  of  the  cannon  at  Leipzig,  showing  his  strong  botanical 

*  1892.  GARRKTT—Histoi-y  of  Haverford  College,  155;  portrait,  Go.  See  also 
The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  XXV,  p.  158  (1883). 

t  Actes  de  la  Societe  Linneene  de  Bordeaux,  XXIX,  2e  liv.,  1873,  par  M.  Charles 
des  Moulins.  See  also  Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  IV :  45.  An  oil  painting  of 
Durand  hangs  in  the  library  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  175 

bent  even  then.  At  Hanau  he  was  made  prisoner.  On  the 
final  overthrow  of  Napoleon  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  in  New  York  (Boston  ?)  in  July,  1S16.  Settling  first 
in  Baltimore,  where  he  married  in  1825,  he  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  a  city  which  he  made  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  by  profession  a  pharmaceutist 
and  chemist,  and  coming  to  this  country  when  the  science 
of  pharmacy  was  in  its  infancy,  at  once  took  a  high  position 
to  which  his  acquirements  entitled  him.  His  store  at  Sixth 
and  Chestnut  Streets,  where  the  Ledger  Building  now  stands, 
was  the  centre  of  attraction  to  the  eminent  physicians  and 
men  of  science  of  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  where  his 
genial  bearing  and  sympathy  with  scientific  pursuits  made 
all  such  visitors  welcome.  He  contributed  pharmaceutical 
articles  to  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  and  the 
Journal  de  Pharmacie  de  Paris,  and  he  introduced  into 
Philadelphia  the  use  and  manufacture  of  soda  water. 

Mr.  Durand  was  an  active  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  and  was  for  a  long  time  at  the  head  of  its 
committee  on  botany.  He  retired  from  business  with  a 
competence,  many  years  ago,  but  did  not  give  up  his  love 
for  botany,  as  nearly  every  day  found  him  at  the  herbarium 
of  the  Academy  engaged  in  some  useful  work. 

The  manner  in  which  Mr.  Durand's  attention  was 
directed  to  the  flora  of  this  country  is  perhaps  a  bit  of  history 
worth  recording.  An  eminent  botanist  thus  relates  it: 
"  When  Mr.  Durand  left  France  for  this  country,  American 
plants  were  but  little  known,  and  in  great  demand.  Some 
one  gave  the  young  Durand  funds  with  which  to  purchase 
him  a  collection  of  North  American  plants.  At  that  time 
Rafinesque  was  at   the  height  of  his  erratic    career,  and 


176  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Durand  arranged  with  him  to  furnish  the  required  collec- 
tion. After  the  bargain  was  made,  Rafinesque,  always  poor, 
contrived  to  get  his  pay  in  advance.  The  time  at  which 
the  collection  was  to  be  delivered  had  expired,  and  the  day 
upon  which  the  vessel  was  to  sail  was  close  at  hand,  and 
still  the  plants  were  not  delivered.  At  last,  on  the  very  day 
of  the  sailing  of  the  vessel,  Rafinesque  appeared  with  his 
parcels  of  specimens.  Durand  had  only  time  for  a  hasty 
inspection  and  found  that  the  bundles  consisted  of  a  lot 
of  worthless  rubbish.  He  was  highly  mortified  at  being 
obliged  to  send  his  friend,  who  had  already  paid  a  liberal 
price,  such  a  poor  return,  and  he  determined  to  make 
amends  by  making  a  collection  himself.  With  this  view 
he  began  to  herborize,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  sent 
to  his  friend  a  remittance  of  plants  that  was  every  way 
satisfactory.  Having  begun  the  study  in  this  manner,  he 
formed  for  it  a  real  love  which  remained  with  him  through 
life. 

Mr.  Durand  collected  very  thoroughly  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Philadelphia,  and  was  the  constant  friend  of  all  the 
botanists  who  visited  the  city.  Although  he  never  said  so 
directly,  he  no  doubt  did  much  to  assist  Nuttall.  Nuttall 
was,  by  the  way,  an  eccentric  botanist.  Although  they 
met  so  frequently  at  the  Academy  and  elsewhere,  and  were, 
so  to  speak,  botanically  intimate,  yet  Durand  never  knew 
how  and  where  Nuttall  lived.  When  j\Ir.  Durand  retired 
from  business  it  was  his  desire  to  devote  himself  to  botany, 
but  at  that  time  his  eyesight  failed  him  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  prevent  him  from  too  close  application  to  a  study  that 
requires  correct  observation. 

His  principal  contributions  to  botanical  literature  were  : 


ELIAS  DURAND. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  177 

"  Plantoe  Heermanniaiije  :  Descriptions  of  new  plants  col- 
lected in  South  California  by  the  Pacific  Railroad  Survey 
under  Lieutenant  R.  S.  Williamson,  U.  S.  A.,"  in  conjunction 
with  Dr.  Hilgard.  "  Plant^e  Prattenianse  Californicse :  An 
enumeration  of  a  collection  of  California  Plants  made  in 
the  vicinity  of  Nevada  by  Henry  Pratten,  Esq.,  of  New 
Harmony."  ''  Plants  Kaneanee  Groenlandicae.  Enumera- 
tion of  Plants  collected  by  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane  in  his  first  and 
second  expeditions  to  the  Arctic  regions."  These  were 
published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
Volume  III,  2d  ser.,  1855-58. "^  In  1859  he  published  a 
"  Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  the  Basin  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  of 
Utah."  This  was  founded  upon  a  collection  made  by  a  lady, 
Mrs.  Carrington,  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  plants 
described  in  other  memoirs  were  here  enumerated  so  as  to 
present  a  view  of  the  botany  of  that  region  up  to  the  time 
of  the  publication.  ]\Ir.  Durand  was  also  author  of  a 
treatise  "Sur  les  Vignes  et  les  Vins  des  Etats  Unis" 
(Societe  d^ Acclimation,  IX  :  313,  410),  and  of  a  Paper,  "  Mono- 
graphic Botanique  "  {Societe  d' Acclimation,  IX  :  479-486). 

Although  so  long  a  resident  of  this  country,  Mr.  Durand 
remained  a  thorough  Frenchman.  It  was  the  pride  of  his 
life  to  have  served  under  I'Empereur.  During  his  career 
he  accumulated  an  herbarium  which,  though  not  remarkably 
large,  was  of  great  value.  It  probably  contained  a  more 
complete  set  of  Nuttall's  collections  than  any  other,  not 
excepting  the  herbarium  of  the  Academy.  In  1868  he 
carried  out  his  long-cherished  intention  of  depositing  this 
herbarium  in  the  Paris  jNIusuem,  and  made  a  long  voyage 
to  France  solely  for  that  purpose.     In  his  will  he  directed 

*  See  introduction  to  this  book,  pages  9  and  10. 


178  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

that  the  specimens  he  had  accumulated  since  ISGS  should  be 
incorporated  with  the  main  collection.  His  botanical 
library  he  directed  to  be  deposited  in  the  herbarium  room 
of  the  Academy,  where  it  can  be  available  for  the  working 
botanists. 

Mr.  Durand  was  personally  an  exceedingly  courteous 
and  genial  gentleman,  who  probably  did  as  much  for 
botany  by  the  encouragement  he  gave  others,  as  by  any 
direct  contributions  he  made  himself. 

Mr.  Durand  was  one  of  the  curators  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society  and  honorary  or  correspondent 
member  of  the  College  of  Pharmacy  of  Philadelphia,  of  the 
Societe  Pharmaceutique  de  Paris,  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  Societe  d'Acclimation  de  Paris,  Societe  Lineenne 
de  Bordeaux,  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  BuflPalo,  the 
Linnaean  Society  of  Lancaster. 

EZRA    MICHENER. 

Ezra  Michener,  M.  D.,*  was  born  November  24,  1794,  in 
London  Grove  Township,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  a 
farm  successively  owned  and  occupied  by  four  generations. 
His  father,  Mordecai,  and  his  mother,  Alice  (Dunn)  Michener, 
had  children  Robert,  Lydia,  Phoebe  and  Ezra.  Ezra  studied 
in  his  early  years  under  Daniel  Hoopes  and  his  successor 
John  Mull,  who  taught  nothing  beyond  the  rudiments 
of  reading,  writing,  arithmetic  with  a  smattering  of  book- 
keeping. Ezra  Michener's  innate  fondness  for  plants  and 
flowers  was  intensified  by  his  frequent  visits  to  Har- 
mony Grove,  but  he  had  no  botanical  book  to  follow ; 
indeed,  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  book  on  the 

*  1893.     Autobiographical  Xoies  from  the  Life  and  Letters  of  Ezra  Michener, 
31.  D.    Philadelphia.    Friends'  Book  Association. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  179 

subject  for  beginners  either  written  by  an  American,  or 
printed  in  America  for  several  years  after.  He  was  fur- 
nished with  Rees's  "  New  Cyclopaedia "  in  ninety-two  half 
volumes,  quarto.  This  work  afforded  a  rich  store  of  Ijotani- 
cal  knowledge.  The  genera  were  alphabetically  arranged 
with  the  known  species  following,  but  Ezra  could  seldom 
stumble  on  the  descriptions  of  the  plants  studied.  When 
he  did  discover  them  he  wrote  down  the  botanical  and 
common  names  until  he  had  a  respectable  list.  He  also 
made  a  list  of  scientific  terms,  as  they  came  under  notice, 
with  definitions. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
lived  in  the  family  of  Dr.  David  Jones  Davis.  In  the 
spring  of  1816  he  attended  the  lectures  of  Dr.  William  P.  C. 
Barton  on  botan}^ ;  but  there  was  still  no  book  suited  for 
beginners.  Dr.  Barton's  "  Flora  Philadelphicse  "  was  not 
published  until  two  years  later.  In  the  early  summer  of 
1816  he  was  appointed  house  surgeon  at  the  Philadelphia 
Dispensatory,  at  a  salary  of  $250  a  year. 

On  April  15,  1819,  he  married  Sarah  Spencer,  and 
lived  happily  until  her  death,  when,  in  1844,  he  married  a 
second  time,  Mary  S.  Walton,  of  London  Grove. 

Dr.  Barton's  "  Flora  Philadelphicae  "  was  the  first  real 
botanical  book  which  Ezra  Michener  had  for  study,  until 
Dr.  Darlington  published  his  "  Florula  Cestrica  "  in  1826. 
About  this  time,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  William 
Darlington,  was  organized  the  Chester  County  Cabinet. 
The  object  was  two-fold ;  first,  to  form  a  collection  of  the 
natural  productions  of  the  county ;  and  second,  to  gather 
materials  for  its  prospective  natural  history. 

Dr.  Darlington,  being  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  his 


180  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

little  book,  "  Florula  Cestrica,"  he  requested  the  assistance 
of  Mr.  Michener  in  the  work.  This  gave  a  fresh  impulse 
to  his  botanical  studies.  Dr.  Darlington  acknoAvledged  his 
indebtedness  to  Ezra  Michener  in  the  collection  and 
preparation  of  the  lichens  for  his  "  Flora  Cestrica,"  referring 
to  him  as  a  naturalist  of  acumen,  diligence  and  indomitable 
perseverance.  x4s  a  botanist,  Mr.  Michener  was  much 
interested  in  the  cryptogams,  and  did  much  good  work  in 
their  collection  and  study.  In  1840  Mr.  INlichener  was 
elected  a  correspondent  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 
He  did  much  active  collecting,  and  was  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  flora  of  Chester  County.  He  died  a  life- 
long and  active  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  June  24, 
1887,  at  Toughkenamon,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 
aged  ninety-two  years  seven  months.  His  coffin  was  made 
of  the  boards  from  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  Paulownia,  which  he 
had  planted. 

He  was  a  frequent  correspondent  with  many  of  the 
most  eminent  scientists  of  his  time,  among  whom  may  be 
mentioned  Darlington,  Rothrock,  Curtis,  Laning,  Eavenel 
and  Tuckerman.  Agassiz  said  of  him  "that  he  did  not 
belong  exclusively  to  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  or 
America,  but  to  the  whole  scientific  world."  * 

GEORGE  B.  WOOD. 

George  B.  Wood  f  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Cumber- 
land County,  New  Jersey,  March  13,  1797.  His  parents 
were  Friends,  and  his  grandfather,  Richard  Wood,  was  a 

*  His  letters  are  in  possession  of  his  son,  Ellwood  Michener,  Toughkenamon, 
Pennsylvania,  who  forwarded  them  to  me  for  inspection. 

t  Medical  Record,  1879,  pt.  I,  335.  An  oil  painting  presented  by  Richard  Wood 
hangs  in  the  library  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  and  another  one  at  the  American 
Philosophical  Society. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  181 

county  judge  in  1748.     The  education  of  Dr.  Wood  was 
begun  in  the  City  of  New  York,  but  was  completed  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  where   he  graduated   in   the 
year  1815.    Immediately  after  obtaining  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Joseph  Parrish,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  took  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania    in   the  year   1818.      He 
delivered  in  1820  a  course  of  lectures  on  chemistry,  and  in 
1822  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  chemistry  in  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy.     This  position  he  held  until 
the   year  1831,  when   he   was  made  Professor  of  Materia 
Medica  in  the  same  cpllege.     On  the  sixth  of  November, 
1835,  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and 
pharmacy  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.     When    Dr.    Nathaniel    Chapman    resigned 
the  chair  of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  in  1850,  Dr. 
Wood  was  elected  to  fill  his  place.     In  1860  he  resigned 
this  chair  and  in  1869  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  Univer- 
sity.    Dr.  Wood  was  attending  physician  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Hospital  from  1835  to  1859.     In  this  latter  year  he 
was  elected  President  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
which  position,  together  with  that  of  the  presidency  of  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Physicians,  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

He  was  married  in  1823  to  Carohne,  daughter  of  Peter 
Hahn,  a  merchant  of  this  city.  Their  union,  from  which 
there  were  no  children,  was  an  exceptionally  happy  one. 
It  was  terminated  in  1867  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Wood. 

His  election  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica  in  the 
University,   in   1835,   was    productive    of    new   and   fresh 


182  THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

interest  in  that  branch.  In  addition  to  the  creation  of  an 
admirable  cabinet  of  drawings  and  specimens  illustrative  of 
the  materia  medica,  Dr.  AVood  erected  a  spacious  green- 
house, in  connection  with  a  garden,  and  stocked  them  with 
many  varieties  of  rare  tropical  and  exotic  plants,  which  he 
exhibited  as  illustrations  of  the  subject  treated  in  his 
lectures. 

Dr.  Wood  was  the  author  of  numerous  and  valuable 
books,  chiefly  relating  to  his  profession,  which  still  rank 
among  medical  classics.  His  first  important  work,  the 
"  Dispensatory  of  the  United  States,"  was  written  in  con- 
junction with  Franklin  Bache,  M.  D.,  and  the  original  edition 
was  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1833.  It  went  through 
fourteen  editions,  the  last  being  1877.  In  addition  to  this 
book  he  prepared  conjointly  with  Dr.  Bache,  in  1830,  a 
"  Pharmacopceia." 

In  1847  he  published  a  "  Treatise  on  the  Practice  of 
Medicine."  It  ran  through  six  editions,  the  last  appearing 
in  1867.  He  also  published  in  1856,  a  "  Treatise  on  Thera- 
peutics and  Pharmacology."  He  also  wrote  "  The  History 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,"  "  History  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,"  "  Biographical  Memoir  of  Franklin 
Bache,"  etc.  In  1872  these  sketches,  with  the  addition  of 
the  "  History  of  Christianity  in  India,"  "  History  of  the 
British  Empire  in  India,"  "  History  of  Girard  College,"  and 
other  papers,  were  collected  into  a  volume,  styled,  "  Memoirs, 
Essays  and  Addresses." 

In  1865  Dr.  Wood  endow^ed  an  Auxiliary  Faculty  of 
Medicine  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  was 
composed  of  five  chairs,  namely :  (1)  Zoology  and  Compara- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rHILADELPIIIA.  183 

tive  Anatomy;  (2)  Botany;  (3)  Mineralogy  and  Geology; 
(4)  Hygiene;  (5)  Medical  Jurisprudence  and  Toxicology. 
The  incumbent  of  each  chair  was  required  to  deliver  during 
the  months  April,  May  and  June  not  less  than  thirty-four 
lectures.  Dr.  Wood  paid  each  professor  §500  annually, 
and  bequeathed  a  fund  of  $50,000  from  which  the  payment 
continued.  He  also  bequeathed  to  the  University  his 
numerous  collections,  all  his  medicinal  plants,  and  $5000 
to  establish  a  botanical  garden  and  conservatory. 

His  death  occurred  at  his  residence  in  Philadelphia, 
March  30,  1879,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years, 
having  spent  his  long  life  usefully  and  acceptably  in  every 
respect.  He  was  generous,  benevolent,  charitable  in  the 
broadest  sense  of  the  term.    His  character  was  without  stain.* 

JOHN  JAY  SMITH. 

John  Jay  Smith,  of  "  Ivy  Lodge,"  Germantown,  Phila- 
delphia, born  in  1798,  was  a  descendant  of  Smith  and 
Logan,  who  were  associated  with  William  Penn  in  the 
founding  of  Pennsylvania.  He  interested  himself  in  the 
movement  to  lay  out  finer  and  more  modern  cemeteries. 
Laurel  Hill  Cemetery,  w^hich  was  opened  for  burials  in 
October,  1836,  was  largely  started  through  Mr.  Smith's 
energies.  His  literary  efforts  were  large.  The  beautiful 
English  translation  from  the  French  of  Michaux's  "  Forest 
Trees  of  America,"  and  an  edition  of  M'Mahon's  "American 
Gardener "  bear  his  name  as  editor  on  their  title  pages.f 


*  For  excellent  picture  see  Neiv  Jersey  Medical  Reporter,  vol.  VI,  opposite 
167  (1852). 

t  The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  XXIII,  p.  378,  with  portrait  as  frontis- 
piece. 


184  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

MATTHIAS  KIN. 

Matthias  Kin  was  sent  to  this  country  in  the  early  part 
of  the  century  by  parties  in  Germany  interested  in  the 
collection  of  North  American  plants.  He  traveled  some- 
what extensively  through  the  Alleghany  ^Mountains  chiefly 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  living  plants  and  seeds.  He 
also  collected  many  interesting  specimens,  which  may  be 
found  in  the  herbarium  of  the  Royal  Museum  at  Berlin,  and 
in  the  herbaria  of  Muhlenberg,  Willdenow,  and  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

Mr.  Meng,  a  wealthy  banker,  living  in  Germantown, 
on  what  is  now  Vernon  Park,  seems  to  have  been  the 
financial  agent  of  the  Germans  who  employed  Mr.  Kin. 
In  order  to  work  to  better  advantage,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  when  on  his  exploring  expeditions,  dressed  and  had 
the  manners  and  appearance  of  an  Indian.  He  was,  in 
fact,  called  the  Indian  plant-hunter.  When  not  in  the 
field,  he  made  his  home  in  Germantown. 

Many  of  the  rare  trees  in  what  is  now  Vernon  Park 
were  presented  by  Mr.  Kin  to  Mr.  Meng.* 

MINSHALL  PAINTER. 

Minshall  Painter  was  born  near  Media,  March  6,  ISOl, 
and  died  of  apoplexy,  August  21, 1873.  He  received  a  good 
education  near  his  native  place.  Here  he  lived  the 
remainder  of  his  life  with  his  brother  Jacob,  spending  most 
of  his  time  in  study  and  in  the  garden  or  arboretum,  which 
he  and  his  brother  planted.  He  was  a  good  botanist,  and 
took  great  interest  in  the  progress  of  botany,  corresponding 


*  See  Appendix  VI. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    THILADELPHIA.  185 

with  Thomas  JNIeehan  and  John  Evans,  who  had  a  botanic 
garden,  near  Rosemont,  Pennsylvania.  The  library  in 
which  he  and  his  brother  spent  considerable  of  their  time 
was  in  a  substantial  hre-proof  building  a  few  rods  from  the 
dwelling.  He  was  much  respected  by  all  who  knew  him; 
by  both  neighbors  and  friends. 

The  merit  of  the  Painters,  as  botanists,  consisted  in 
their  arboretum,  planted  by  their  own  hands  on  a  property 
of  500  acres,  settled  by  Jacob  Minshall  in  1701.  It  passed 
later  to  the  Painters ;  Enos  Painter  marrying  Hannah 
Minshall.  Enos  and  Hannah  (Minshall)  Painter,  the 
parents  of  Minshall  and  Jacob,  died  about  1840,  when  the 
property  passed  into  the  hands  of  their  sons,  who  planted  it 
to  trees. 

Between  1840  and  1850  they  made  exchanges  with 
Thomas  Meehan  and  John  Evans  and  others,  from  whom 
they  obtained  many  curious  trees,  shrubs  and  plants  hardy 
to  the  climate  of  southeastern  Pennsjdvania.  The  trees 
were  planted  in  rows,  but  later  by  their  growth  they  formed 
a  perfect  thicket.  The  collection  still  shows  some  choice 
specimens,  among  them  the  big-tree.  Sequoia  gigantea.  and 
red-wood,  Sempervirens,  a  fine  cedar  of  Lebanon,  an  oriental 
spruce,  and  a  maple  tree.  The  magnolias,  Magnolia  macro- 
phylla,  and  31.  Umbrella,  are  represented,  as  also  the  bald 
cypress,  Taxodium  distichum,  and  Quercus  macrocarpa.  The 
property,  after  the  brothers'  death,  passed  into  the  hands  of 
their  nephew,  John  J.  Tyler,  who  does  not  spend  more  than 
two  or  three  months  on  it.* 


*  The  information  herein  contained  was  furnished  in  a  letter  to  Henry  S. 
Conard,  of  Westtown,  Pa.,  who  kindly  loaned  it  to  me  for  inspection.  Mr.  Conard 
also  wrote  a  sketch  of  the  Painters,  the  contents  of  which  he  kindly  permitted  me 
to  use. 


186  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

JOHN  P.  HEISTER. 

Dr.  John  P.  Heister  was  bom  July  3,  1803,  in  the  city  of 
Reading.  He  died  September  15, 1854.  When  but  a  youth 
he  evinced  a  great  interest  in  study,  and  eagerly  perused 
the  books  that  came  within  his  reach.  After  receiving  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  he  located,  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  in  his  native  place.  In  order  to  satisf}^  more 
fully  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
benefit  his  faihng  health,  he  determined  to  take  a  journey 
to  Europe.  On  the  16th  day  of  April,  1841,  he  set  sail,  and 
visited  England,  France,  Germany,  Italy  and  Switzerland. 
After  spending  a  year  in  Europe  he  returned  to  his  native 
place  to  resume  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  kept  notes 
while  on  his  journey  abroad,  which  were  printed  under  the 
title  of  "  Notes  of  Travel,"  wherein  he  described  the  different 
localities  visited  by  him  ;  especially  the  different  botanical 
gardens.  He  described  in  an  enthusiastic  sketch  his  visit  to 
the  Jardin  des  Plantes  in  Paris. 

Botany  was  his  favorite  study,  although  he  was  also 
more  or  less  attached  to  the  science  of  geology.  He  had  a 
fine  collection  of  specimens  of  the  different  woods  of  Berks 
County.  They  were  well  arranged  in  library  form ;  a  part 
of  the  limb  or  branch  formed  the  back  to  which  was  attached 
a  tin  box  to  hold  the  seed  vessels,  flowers,  etc.* 

THOMAS  POTT  JAMES. 

Thomas  Pott  Jamesf  died  in  Cambridge,  February  22, 
1882,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age,  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  having  been  spent  in  Philadelphia,  near  which 
city  he  was  born  on  September  1st,  1803.     His  ancestors 

*  This  sketch  was  kindly  furnished  by  Dr.  William  Herbst,  of  Trexlertown, 
Pennsylvania. 

t  Asa  Gray  Scientific  Papers,  II:  419.  Also  Proceedings  American  Academy 
Arts  and  Science,  XVII :  405  (1882). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  187 

were  notable  persons  in  the  early  settlement  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  engaged  in  business  in  Philadelphia  as  a 
wholesale  druggist  for  over  forty  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Cambridge,  bringing  his  wife  and  their  four  children  to  her 
paternal  home.  From  childhood  he  was  more  or  less  devoted 
to  botany ;  but  in  later  years,  having  more  leisure,  he  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  study  of  the  mosses,  in  which  he 
became  proficient.  After  the  death  of  Sullivant  in  1873, 
James  and  Lesquereux,  became  the  principal  authorities 
upon  mosses  in  this  country ;  and  the  duty  appropriately 
devolved  upon  them  of  writing  the  systematic  manual  on 
North  American  Mosses*  which  Sullivant  had  planned. 
Owing  to  the  preoccupation  of  Mr.  Lesquereux  in  paleo- 
botany, the  labor  of  preparation  fell  upon  Mr.  James.  He  had 
published  several  papers  upon  mosses  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  of  which  he  had 
long  been  an  active  member.  He  contributed  to  Mr.  Wat- 
son's "  Botany  of  Clarence  King's  Exploration  on  the  Fortieth 
Parallel,"  a  notable  article  on  the  mosses  collected  by  the 
botanist  of  that  survey.  The  American  Academy  published 
some  of  the  results  of  the  joint  study  of  these  two  veteran 
bryologists.  Hundreds  of  species  and  varieties  had  to  be 
patiently  examined  under  the  comj)ound  microscope,  the 
details  sketched,  and  the  differences  weighed  before  descrip- 
tion. To  this  task  Mr.  James  devoted  all  his  energies. 
He  had  nearly  brought  this  protracted  labor  to  a  conclusion, 
when  the  eye  was  suddenly  dimmed  and  the  pencil  dropped 
from  his  hand.  Partial  paralysis  was  soon  followed  by 
coma,  and  he  died  witliin  a  few  hours.f 

*  Manual  of  the  Mosses  of  North  America,  by  Leo  Lesquereux  and  Thomas  P. 
James.  With  Six  Plates  Illustrating  the  Genera.  Boston.  S.  E.  Cassino  ct  Co.,  1884, 
octavo  pp.,  V  :  L17. 

t  See  Charles  Pickering.  H,  Sci.  Papers,  .-^sa  Gray. 


188  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

ROBERT    KILVINQTON. 

Robert  Kilvington,'^  a  well-known  florist  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  born  of  a  Yorkshire  squire  in  1803,  and  died  in 
1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  He  became  gardener  to 
Mr.  SheafF  of  Whitemarsh,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  city. 
Mr.  Kilvington  subsequently  became  engaged  in  the  florist's 
business,  and  interested  himself  in  the  meetings  of  the 
Pennsylyania  Horticultural  Society.  He  also  took  an  active 
interest  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  of  which  his 
cousin,  Dr.  Thomas  B.  "Wilson,  was  one  of  the  founders. 

He  had  his  garden  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Nine- 
teenth and  Race  Streets,  where  the  building  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  now  stands.  From  there  he  removed 
to  Locust  Street,  west  of  Woodland  Avenue,  where  he  died. 

GEORGE  SMITH. 

George  Smith,t  son  of  Benjamin  Hayes  and  Margaretta 
Dunn  Smith,  was  born  in  Haverford  Township,  Delaware 
County,  February  12, 1804.  He  received  the  earlier  part  of 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and,  later, 
was  a  pupil  at  the  Academy  in  West  Chester  of  Jonathan 
Cause.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  graduated  there  April  7, 1826.  For  five  years 
he  practiced  his  profession  in  Darby  and  its  vicinity,  but 
coming  into  possession  of  a  very  considerable  estate,  soon 
after  his  marriage  he  retired  from  medicine,  and  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  chiefly  occupied  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  farms,  and  in  attention  to  numerous  public  and 
private  trusts,  and  in  the  cultivation  of  his  literary  and 


*  The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  XXIII  (1881),  p.  345. 
t  Pennsylvania  Magazine,  VI  :  182. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  189 

scientific  tastes.  Dr.  Smith  married  February  26,  1829, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Abraham  Lewis,  of  Delaware  County. 
His  widow  and  five  children  survive  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  12th  of  February,  1882. 

From  1832  to  1836  Dr.  Smith  was  a  state  senator  from 
the  district  composed  of  Chester  and  Delaware  Counties, 
and  during  that  time  was  largely  instrumental  in  estab- 
lishing a  law  for  free  education. 

On  December  8,  1836,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Ritner  Associate-Judge  of  the  courts  of  Delaware  County, 
an  appointment  held  by  him  for  six  years,  and  renewed  by 
popular  vote  for  five  succeeding  years.  As  Suj^erintendent 
of  the  common  schools,  and  as  President  of  the  School 
Board  of  Upper  Darby  district,  he  continued  to  show  deep 
interest  in  popular  education.  In  September,  1833,  with 
four  of  his  friends,  he  founded  the  Delaware  County  Insti- 
tute of  Science,  of  which  he  was  the  President  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  until  his  death,  a  period  of  forty- 
nine  years.  This  association  has  objects  in  view  similar  if 
not  identical  to  those  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 
of  Philadelphia. 

A  generous  contributor  to  the  periodical  papers  of  his 
neighborhood,  in  the  year  1862  he  published  the  "  History  of 
Delaware  County,"  a  work  which  at  once  placed  its  author 
in  the  very  front  rank  of  careful,  painstaking,  accurate 
historians. 

Dr.  Smith  gives  besides  an  instructive  sketch  of  the 
geology  of  the  county,  a  copious  catalogue  of  the  plants  of 
the  same.  This  list,  carefully  prepared,  is  the  monument 
of  Dr.  Smith's  energy  and  interest  in  botanical  science. 


190  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

ROBERT  HERMANN  SCHOMBURQK. 

Robert  Hermann  Sehomburgk,  a  Prussian  traveler,  Avas 
born  at  Freiburg-an-der-Unstrut,  June  5,  1804.  He  came 
in  1826  to  the  United  States  when  he  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  and,  after  working  for  some  time  as  a  clerk  in  Boston 
and  Philadelphia,  became  a  partner  in  a  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, tobacco  manufactory  in  1828.  The  factory  was  burned 
and  Sehomburgk  drifted  to  the  West  Indies  in  1830,  where, 
after  unsuccessful  venture,  his  botanical  work  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  London  Geographical  Society  and  secured 
him  the  means  to  explore  the  unknown  region  of  the  Ori- 
noco, where  he  traveled  from  1833  to  1839,  discovering 
Victoria  regia  and  numerous  other  plants.  This  work  led 
the  British  Government,  in  1841-1844,  to  commission  him 
to  survey  the  boundary  betw^een  Venezuela  and  Guiana, 
and  to  make  further  exploration.  The  famous  line  was 
drawn  and  he  was  knighted  by  the  Queen  for  his  services. 
Sehomburgk,  until  his  death  in  Berlin  March  11,  1865, 
continued  in  the  British  consular  service,  but  he  devoted 
himself  to  botanical  and  geographical  studies,  being  a 
member  of  the  principal  American  and  European  learned 
societies.  His  works  include  several  books  and  many  scien- 
tific papers  on  Guiana,  and  a  "  History  of  Barbadoes " 
(1847). 

CHARLES  PICKERING. 

Charles  Pickering,  M-D.,"*"  died  in  Boston,  of  pneumonia, 
on  the  17th  of  March,  1878,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  of  a  noted  New  England  stock,  being  a  grand- 
son of  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  a  member  of  Washington's 

*  Proceedings  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  XIII  :  414  (1878).  An 
engraving  of  Pickering  hangs  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  191 

military  family,  and  of  his  first  cabinet.  He  was  bom  on 
Stamcca  Creek,  on  the  Upper  Susquehanna,  Pennsylvania, 
on  a  grant  of  land  made  to  his  grandfather,  who  resided 
there.  His  father,  Timothy  Pickering,  Jr.,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years,  leaving  the  two  sons,  Charles  and  his  brother 
Edward,  to  the  care  of  their  mother. 

Dr.  Pickering  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1823  at 
Harvard  College,  but  left  before  graduation;  preferring 
medicine,  he  took  the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  1826.  Living  in  these  earlier  years  at 
Salem,  he  became  associated  with  William  Oakes  in  botan- 
ical exploration.  It  is  probable  that  they  first  explored 
the  White  Mountains  together,  following  in  the  steps  of  the 
first  botanist  to  ascend  Mount  Washington.  Pickering's 
taste  for  botany  and  zoology  showed  itself  in  boyhood,  and 
probably  decided  his  choice  of  a  profession.  About  the 
year  1829  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Philadelphia;  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  was  attracted  thither  more  by  the 
facilities  that  city  offered  for  study  of  science  than  by  its 
renown  as  a  centre  of  medical  instruction.  We  soon  find  him 
one  of  the  curators  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and 
librarian,  and  with  reputation  established  as  the  most 
erudite  and  sharp-sighted  of  all  the  young  naturalists  of 
that  region.  His  knowledge  then,  as  in  mature  years,  was 
encyclopedic  and  minute.  During  this  time  he  published 
a  brief  essay  on  "  The  Geographical  Distribution  and  leading 
Characters  of  the  United  States  Flora." 

When  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition  to  the 
South  Seas,  which  sailed  under  command  of  Lieutenant 
Charles  Wilkes  in  the  autumn  of  1838,  was  first  organized 
under   Commodore   T.  Ap.  Catesby   Jones,   Dr.   Pickering 


192  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

was  selected  as  the  principal  zoologist.  Subsequently,  others 
were  added.  Yet  the  scientific  fame  of  that  expedition 
largely  rests  upon  the  collections  and  work  of  Dr.  Pickering 
and  his  associate,  Professor  Dana.  Dr.  Pickering,  although 
retaining  the  ichthyology,  turned  his  attention  during  the 
three  and  a  half  years  of  the  voyage  to  anthropology,  and 
to  the  study  of  the  geographical  distribution  of  animals  and 
plants ;  to  the  latter  especially  as  affected  by  the  operations 
and  movements  of  the  races  of  man.  To  these  subjects  the 
remainder  of  his  life  was  assiduously  devoted.  Dr.  Pickering, 
a  year  after  the  return  of  the  expedition,  and  at  his  own 
expense,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  visited  Egypt,  Arabia,  the 
eastern  part  of  Africa,  and  western  and  northern  India. 
As  a  result  of  these  explorations,  in  1848  he  published  a 
volume  on  "  The  Races  of  Man  and  their  Geographical 
Distribution,"  being  the  ninth  volume  of  the  "Report  of 
the  Wilkes'  Exploring  Expedition."  Some  time  afterward 
in  the  fifteenth  volume  of  this  series  appeared  an  extensive 
work  on  the  "  Geographical  Distribution  of  Animals  and 
Plants."  In  the  course  of  printing,  appropriations  of  Con- 
gress stopped,  and  the  publication  of  the  results  of  the 
celebrated  expedition  was  abandoned.  Under  a  privilege 
granted  by  Congress,  Dr.  Pickering  bought  out  in  1854 
a  small  edition  of  the  first  part  of  his  essay, — perhaps  the 
most  important  part, — and  in  1876  a  more  bulky  portion, 
"  On  Plants  and  Animals  in  their  Wild  State,"  which  is 
largely  a  transcrij)t  of  the  note-book  memoranda. 

These  are  all  his  publications,  excepting  some  short 
communications  to  scientific  journals  and  the  proceedings 
of  learned  societies,  but  he  is  known  to  have  been  long 
and  laboriously  engaged  upon   a   work    which   a   lifetime 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  193 

seemed  hardly  sufficient  to  complete.  He  was  carrying 
this  work  through  the  press  at  his  own  expense,  when 
he  died.  This  formidable  treatise  edited  by  his  wife, 
Sarah  S.  Pickering,  appeared  in  1879  under  the  title 
"  Chronological  History  of  Plants,  or  Man's  Record  of  his 
own  Existence."  * 

''  Dr.  Pickering  was  singularly  retiring  and  reticent,  very 
dry  in  ordinary  intercourse,  but  never  cynical ;  delicate  and 
keen  in  perception  and  judgment ;  just,  upright  and  exem- 
plary in  every  relation;  and  to  those  who  knew  him  well, 
communicative,  sympathetic,  and  even  genial.  In  the 
voyage  of  circumnavigation  he  w^as  the  soul  of  industry 
and  a  hardy  explorer." 

ROBERT  BUIST, 

Robert  Buistf  was  born  at  Cupar  Fyfe,  near  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland,  on  November  14,  1805,  and  when  quite 
young  went  to  learn  the  business  of  a  gardener  under  the  late 
James  McNab,  curator  of  the  Edinburgh  Botanic  Garden. 
To  complete  his  knowledge,  he  went  through  a  course  at 
Elvaston  Castle,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Harrington,  one  of 
the  most  famous  gardening  establishments  in  England.  In 
August,  1828,  he  arrived  in  America,  and  obtained  employ- 
ment in  the  nursery  of  David  Landreth,  which  at  that  time 
was  one  of  the  best  known  in  America.  The  camellia 
houses  were  particularly  famous,  and  Camellia  Landrethii 
remains  to  this  day  a  worthy  monument  of  the  early  efforts 
of  this  firm  to  improve  that  plant.     Buist  later  obtained  a 


*  "  Chronological  History  of  Plants,  Man's  Record  of  His  Own  Existence. 
Illustrated  through  their  Names,  Uses,  and  Companionship."  By  Charles  Pickering, 
M.  D.    Boston  :  Little,  Brown  &.  Co.    1879.    4to.,  pp.  xvi,  1222. 

t  The  Gardener's  Monthly,  XXII,  p.  372  (1880).     Portrait  as  frontispiece. 


194  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

situation  as  gardener  to  Henry  Pratt,  who,  at  that  time, 
had  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  garden  in  the  United  States. 
This  was  at  Lemon  Hill,  which  has  since  become  a  part  of 
Fairmount  Park. 

It  was  about  the  time  of  young  Buist's  arrival  in 
Philadelphia  that  the  tremendous  strides  in  horticulture 
about  Philadelphia  began,  in  which  he  subsequently  took  a 
leading  part.  The  nurseries  then  in  existence  in  and  near 
the  city  were  Bartram's,  conducted  by  Colonel  Carr; 
M'Mahon's ;  Landreth's,  in  Moyamensing  ;  Maupay's,  at 
Rising  Sun,  and  Hibbert's,  wdiich  was  probably  the  first 
florist's  establishment.  In  the  whole  city  of  Philadelphia 
there  were  only  two  greenhouses  which  kept  gardeners, 
though  there  were  a  few  more  in  the  suburbs.  Such  a 
thing  as  a  bedding  plant  was  unknown.  Hardy  herbaceous 
plants  and  box  edgings  made  up  the  chief  garden  attrac- 
tions, and  only  those  who  had  greenhouses  with  rare  exotics 
believed  they  had  much  of  which  to  be  particularly  proud. 
During  the  year  1829  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural 
Society  had  its  first  grand  exhibition. 

In  1830  Mr.  Buist  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr. 
Hibbert,  and  Hibbert  &  Buist  did  an  immense  business  as 
florists  at  Twelfth  and  Lombard  Streets.  They  commenced 
at  once  the  importation  of  rare  plants  and  flowers,  paying 
attention  especially  to  the  rose.  Among  the  importations 
were  the  Noisette  rose  and  Jaune  des  Prez,  on  which  they 
made  a  clear  profit  of  $1000.  Later,  on  Mr.  Hibbert's  death, 
Robert  Buist  commenced  the  seed  business  at  No.  84  Chestnut 
Street,  then  No.  97,  removing  finally  to  the  present  situation, 
No.  922  Market  Street. 

While   a   florist   Mr.    Buist   introduced   a    number    of 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  105 

rarities.  From  Mr.  Tweedie,  for  whom  Sir  William 
Hooker  named  a  Verbena,  V.  Tweediana  and  the  genus  of 
plants  Tiveedia,  he  obtained  the  above-mentioned  Verbena. 
Through  the  Mexican  Minister,  Mr.  Poinsett,  Polnsettia 
pulcherrima  was  introduced. 

Mr.  Buist  was  well  known  by  his  writings.  His  "  Rose 
Manual,"  his  "  Family  Kitchen  Garden,"  and  his  "  Flower 
Garden  Director}^,"  were  in  their  day  the  principal  prac- 
tical garden  guides. 

Personally,  Mr.  Buist  was  tall,  and  to  his  death  as  straight 
as  a  well-trained  soldier.  He  was  thrice  married.  His  eldest 
son  died  before  his  father,  Robert,  his  onl}^  living  son, 
carrying  on  the  business  since  his  father's  death,  wdiich 
occurred  July  13,  1880,  at  Rosedale,  Philadelphia. 

ROBERT  BRIDGES. 

Dr.  Robert  Bridges  *  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  ^larch 
5,  1806,  and  died  in  the  city,  February  20,  1882,  at  the  ripe 
age  of  nearly  seventy-six  years.  He  was  elected  a  meml^er 
of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  January, 
1835,  and  held  many  offices  of  trust  in  that  institution  and 
the  American  Philosophical  Society,  of  which  he  was  also  a 
member. 

His  work  in  botan}^  consisted  of  an  Index  of  the  Genera 
in  the  Herbarium  of  the  Academy  prepared  by  him  and 
Dr.  Paul  B.  Goddard,  presented  xlugust,  1835.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Botanical  Committee,  January,  1836, 
was  chairman  of  it  from  December,  1846,  and  served  till 
December,  1857,  twenty-one  years,  when  he  declined  re-elec- 
tion.    On  the  23d  of  May,  1843,  he  presented  a  new  Index 

*  A  fine  oil  painting  of  Dr.  Bridges  is  hung  in  the  library  of  the  Academy  of 

Natural  Sciences. 


196  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  the  Herbarium  and  one  of  Menke's  Herbarium  from  the 
Committee,  a  work  which  was  long  the  main  guide  to  the 
botanical  collections. 

No  striking  invention,  no  discovery  in  science  is 
ascribed  to  him,  but  laboriousness,  sincerity  of  purpose,  and 
faithfulness  were  so  manifest  in  all  his  ways  that  he  had  the 
confidence  of  all. 

WILLIAM   WYNNE  WISTER. 

William  Wynne  Wister,*  Avho  was  the  oldest  member  of 
the  family  of  that  name,  died  early  on  Saturday  morning 
December  17,  1898,  at  his  home,  5140  Germantown  Avenue, 
aged  ninety-two  years.  Mr.  Wister  suffered  a  fracture  of 
the  hip,  July,  1898,  and  it  was  thought  that  he  had  almost 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  injury,  as  he  was  able  to 
be  wdieeled  out  in  a  chair  on  fine  days,  but  on  Friday 
evening  he  sank  into  unconsciousness,  from  which  he  never 
rallied. 

]Mr.  Wister  was  born  in  Philadelphia  November  25, 
1807,  and  was  a  son  of  Charles  J.  Wister,  prominent  as  a 
literary  man.  He  was  educated  in  the  Germantown  Aca- 
demy, and  on  arriving  at  maturity,  engaged  in  business. 
He  soon  became  interested  in  banking,  becoming  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  Germantown  National  Bank,  of  which  he 
was  for  many  years  a  Director  and  Vice-President.  In  1866 
Mr.  Wister  was  elected  President  of  the  bank,  and  only 
retired  a  few  weeks  ago,  when  it  became  apparent  that  he 
would  not  be  able  to  resume  active  work,  though  he 
remained  a  director. 

Mr.  Wister,  who  was  an  enthusiastic  botanist  in  his 
younger  days,  got   his   inspiration    when   quite  a  lad  by 

*  Philadelphia  Ledger,  December  19,  1898,  p.  2.  The  date  of  his  birth  in 
my  notes,,  taken  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Wister  in  1896,  is  March  25, 1807. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  197 

hearing  the  lectures  of  Thomas  Xuttall,  in  the  Germantown 
Academy  in  ISIS.  During  his  life  Mr.  Wister  became 
acquainted  with  many  local  botanists,  and  at  eighty-nine  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  tell  anecdotes  concerning  them.* 

His  surviving  family  consists  of  two  sons,  William 
Wynne  AVister,  Jr.,  and  Alexander  W.  Wister,  and  four 
daughters. 

JACOB  ENNIS. 

Jacob  Ennis  f  was  born  in  Essex  County,  New  Jersey,  in 
1807.     He  came  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  on  the  paternal 
side,  and  was  of  Dutch  extraction  (the  Doremuses)  on  the 
maternal  side.    After  he  had  graduated  at  Rutger's  College, 
and  while  quite  a  young  man,  he  connected  himself  with 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  was  by  that  Church  sent 
to  the  islands  of  Java  and  Sumatra  as  a  missionary,  where 
he  remained  four  years.     Here  his  powers  of  observation 
and  his  love  of  nature  had  an  early  development.    Returning 
to  his  native  land,  he  engaged  in  educational  work,  and  was 
elected  Professor  of  Natural  Sciences  in  the  National  Military 
College  of  Bristol,  Pennsylvania,  and  later  became  Principal 
of  the  Scientific  and   Classical   Institute   of  Philadelphia, 
where  he  spent  the  best  part  of  his  life  as  its  proprietor.     He 
also  occupied  for  some  years  the  chair  of  physical  sciences  in 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvnia.     As 
an  educator,  he  laid  great  stress  on  the  importance  of  the 
study  of  nature,  anticipating  by  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  century 
the  recognition  that  scientific   studies   have  subsequently 
had  in   all   the   higher  institutions   of  learning.     During 
several  years  of  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  he  led  out 

*  See  page  144. 

1 1S<J0.    Popular  Science  Monthly,  XXXVII  :  137,  from  which  the  main  facts  of 
this  sketch  are  taken. 


198  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

into  the  field  for  the  study  of  botany  a  class  of  teachers  and 
others  interested  in  the  science.  The  writer  of  this 
book  remembers  while  a  lad  of  accompanying  the 
professor  on  several  of  his  excursions.  One  in  particular 
he  remembers  as  taken  to  Rockland,  and  another  to  the 
Wissahickon,  in  Fairmount  Park.  The  stimulus  which 
he  received  from  these  excursions  probably  determined 
him  many  years  afterward  to  make  botany  his  life-work. 
The  life  of  Professor  Ennis  was  quiet,  simple,  dignified  and 
laborious.  He  was  a  member  of  a  number  of  the  chief  scien- 
tific societies  both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  and  his 
contributions  in  the  shape  of  addresses  before  learned 
societies,  pamphlets  and  articles  in  scientific  periodicals 
were  many  and  varied,  always  strikingly  original,  and 
sometimes  prophetic.  Among  these  contributions,  chiefly 
on  astronomical  problems,  was  one  entitled  "  The  Two 
Great  AVorks  to  be  done  on  our  Sidereal  Systems."  In  his 
book  on  "  The  Origin  of  Stars,"  published  over  twenty 
years  ago,  some  of  the  most  transcendental  problems  of 
phj'Sical  astronomy  were  attacked.  Professor  Ennis's  sym- 
pathies were  not  narrow ;  he  was  familiar  with  the  entire 
range  of  English  and  classical  literature,  and  was  an  excel- 
lent linguist.  His  literary  style  was  simple,  direct  and 
lucid ;  he  had  a  great  dislike  for  "  big  words,"  and  always 
succeeded  in  making  his  ideas  clear  by  the  use  of  j^lain  and 
untechnical  language,  even  when  handling  the  most  abstruse 
problems.  His  habits  and  tastes  were  simple,  his  wants 
few,  his  disposition  kind  and  gentle,  and  the  attitude  of 
his  mind  was  distinctly  reverent.  He  was  so  quiet,  modest 
and  unobtrusive,  that  but  few  suspected  the  j^resence  of  a 
great  thinker  so  near  at  home,  and  still  fewer  knew  him 
personally.     He  died  in  Houston,  Texas,  January  12,  1890. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  199 

JOSEPH  CARSON. 

Dr.  Joseph  Carson  "^  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on  Easter 
Monday,  the  19th  of  April,  180S,  and  died  December  30, 
1876,  in  his  sixty-ninth  year.  His  paternal  ancestors  were 
originally  from  Scotland,  and  belonged  to  that  rigid  and 
staunch  Presbyterian  denomination  which  has  made  its 
deep  impress  upon  the  politics  and  institutions  of  our 
country. 

The  rudiments  of  young  Carson's  education  were 
obtained  at  the  Germantown  Academy,  then  under  the 
patronage  of  Mr.  John  Brewer,  a  very  highly  respected 
teacher  in  his  day.  The  building  still  stands  in  School 
Lane,  bearing  the  coat  of  arms  of  George  IV,  a  relic  of  the 
olden  time.  As  he  grew  older  he  was  placed  under  the 
tuition  of  Mr.  White,  of  Philadelphia. 

From  Mr.  White's  school  Mr.  Carson  entered  (at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years)  the  Sophomore  Class  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  at  this  time  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Rev.  Frederick  Beasley,  D.  D.  The  early  part  of  his  col- 
legiate life  was  somewhat  rufEed,  from  his  not  being  as 
well  prepared  as  he  should  have  been,  and  his  having  to 
relearn  his  Latin  pronunciation.  This  annoyed  him  greatly. 
Nor  did  he,  at  best,  much  relish  his  academic  career,  and 
probably  would  not  have  pursued  his  studies  here  had  it 
not  been  for  the  persistent  efforts  of  a  devoted  aunt,  who 
helped  and  encouraged  the  young  student.  Having  resolved 
on  this  course,  he  showed,  as  he  did  throughout  his  life,  a 
determination  to  do  his  part  faithfully,  and  to  strive  for 
excellence ;    so  that,  with   close   application   to   his  books 

*  Memoirs  of  Joseph  Carson,  M.  D.,  by  James  Darrach,  M.  D.,  read  before  the 
College  of  Physicians,  Philadelphia,  May  7,1879,  extracted  from  the  "Transactions," 
Third  Series,  Volume  IV. 


200  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

for  three  years,  he  graduated  with  honor,  and  received  his 
diploma  as  Bachelor  of  Arts  on  July  27,  1826. 

He  had  now,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  completed 
his  collegiate  course,  which  brings  him  to  a  most  important 
epoch  of  a  man's  existence.  Feeling  the  necessity  of  doing 
something  for  a  livelihood,  he  selected  a  business  life,  and 
was  induced  to  enter  the  wholesale  drug  store  of  Dr.  Edward 
Lowber.  He  did  not,  however,  remain  here  long,  the  daily 
routine  of  trade  being  uncongenial  to  his  tastes  and  consti- 
tution of  mind.  An  impulse  was  given,  while  employed  by 
Dr.  Lowber,  to  the  study  of  botany,  the  Doctor  being  a 
botanist. 

This  study  soon  filled  Mr.  Carson's  mind,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  became  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  plants, 
and  made  frequent  excursions  for  their  collection  ;  he  was 
also  led  from  the  study  of  abstract  botany  to  investigate 
the  medicinal  virtues  of  his  floral  acquisitions,  and  while 
collecting  for  his  herbarium,  he  made  decoctions  and 
infusions  of  the  plants,  testing  their  effects  upon  his  own 
person.  These  trips  into  the  country  served,  no  doubt,  to 
relieve  the  monotony  and  wearisomeness  of  his  business 
life.  Having  made  up  his  mind  to  study  medicine,  he 
entered,  as  a  private  pupil,  the  ofiice  of  Dr.  Thomas  T. 
Hewson,  one  of  the  distinguished  physicians  of  his  day,  and 
from  his  preceptor's  ofiice  he  matriculated  at  the  Medical. 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  the  month  of  March, 
1830,  having  presented  for  graduation  a  thesis  on  animal 
temperature,  an  essay  (though  not  marked  by  originality) 
exhibiting  research,  method,  clearness  of  thought,  unam- 
biguous style,  and  sound  reasoning ;  all  of  which  qualities 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  201 

continued  to  characterize  his  writings  and  teaching  in  after 
life. 

Soon  after  graduating  Dr.  Carson  was  elected  one  of 
the  resident  physicians  in  the  Philadelphia  Almshouse, 
then  situated  on  Tenth  Street,  betweeen  Spruce  and  Pine. 
He  did  not,  however,  immediately  enter  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  but  determined  to  take  a  voyage  to  the 
East  Indies.  Dr.  Carson  set  sail  as  surgeon,  on  board  the 
ship  "  Georgiana,"  commanded  by  Captain  John  Land ; 
during  which  voyage  he  visited  ]\Iadras  and  Calcutta, 
returning  to  Philadelphia  August  3,  1832,  having  been 
absent  nearly  a  year.  While  on  this  expedition  he  kept  a 
journal,  in  which  we  find,  neatly  and  methodically  arranged, 
tables  indicating  the  temperature  of  the  sea  and  air,  and  the 
barometical  conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  with  excellent 
drawings,  some  of  them  colored,  of  the  flora  and  fauna, 
which  did  not  escape  his  quick  senses  and  inquiring  mind. 
His  description  (recorded  in  the  journal)  of  sea-sickness,  as 
experienced  by  himself,  is  graphically  and  clearly  given, 
with  its  physiological  causes  and  conditions  well  presented. 

After  his  return  from  India  we  find  Dr.  Carson,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  practi- 
tioner, and  he  was  not  an  exception  in  regard  to  the  customary 
tardiness  with  which  the  public  receives  the  young  phy- 
sician, since  for  the  first  nine  years  his  monetary  realizations 
from  practice  were  very  small.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time,  and  at  thirty-three  years  of  age,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  ^lary  Goddard,  sister  of  Dr.  Paul  B.  Goddard, 
and  granddaughter  of  Paul  Beck,  of  this  city.  From  this 
union  there  was  no  living  issue,  and  Mrs.  Carson  was 
prematurely  carried  oft'  within  a  year   of  their   marriage. 


202  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

After  remaining  a  widower  for  seven  years,  Dr.  Carson 
formed  a  second  matrimonial  alliance  with  Mary  Hollings- 
worth,  daughter  of  Henry  Hollingsworth,  who  was  for 
many  years  Cashier  of  the  Bank  of  North  America.  The 
four  children  from  this  marriage  were  Henry  (who  died 
in  infancy),  Hampton  L.,  now  a  prominent  lawyer,  Ann  C. 
and  Susan,  who  are  left  to  mourn  a  loving  and  devoted 
father.  After  the  first  ten  years  Dr.  Carson's  practice 
increased  very  much,  and  he  eventually  gained  an  excellent 
position  as  a  practitioner  of  obstetrics.  This  branch  of  the 
profession,  however,  necessitating  much  labor,  wore  upon 
his  health,  compelling  him  to  curtail  his  practice,  which  he 
finally  gave  up  for  more  congenial  pursuits. 

From  this  time  he  begins  to  fill  various  positions  of 
honor,  responsibility  and  trust.  He  also  found  time  to 
cultivate  history,  literature  and  biography;  penetrated 
somewhat  into  anticjuarian  pursuits. 

The  first  institution  to  which  Dr.  Carson  became 
attached  was  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  to  which  he 
was  elected  on  October  29,  1835,  and  was  one  of  its  most 
active  and  useful  members.  He  assisted  in  arranging  and 
caring  for  the  herbarium,  was  Librarian  for  two  years,  and 
aided  in  preparing  and  publishing  a  catalogue  of  books; 
was  a  member  of  the  publication  committee  for  two  years, 
and  served  as  Secretary  during  six  months  in  1837.  He 
ultimately  became  one  of  the  vice-presidents,  which  posi- 
tion he  occupied  from  December,  1869,  to  December,  1875. 
He  made  communications  to  the  Academy  over  a  period  of 
forty-three  years.  At  a  period  anterior  to  this.  Dr.  Carson 
had  reached  another  round  in  the  ladder  which  he  was 
gradually  but  surely  ascending,  namely,  his  election  to  be 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADKLl'JII A.  203 

Professor  of  Materia  Medica  in  the  Pliiladclpliia  College  of 
Pliarmaey,  which  election  took  place  in  1S3G ;  he  held  this 
post  until  the  year  ISoO.  While  occupying  this  position,  he 
was  assiduous  in  other  good  works,  still  working  zealously 
for  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  adding  to  the 
duties  and  labors  of  his  chair  the  editing  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  assisted  by  Dr.  Bridges,  and  subse- 
quently by  Professor  William  Proctor.  While  connected 
with  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  Dr.  Carson  edited,  with  notes 
and  additions,  two  editions  of  Pereira's  "  Materia  Medica," 
and  in  1847  published  his  beautiful  and  creditable  "Illustra- 
tions of  Medical  Botany,"  in  two  quarto  volumes,  having, 
it  is  said,  drawn  and  colored  many  of  the  plates  himself. 

In  the  spring  of  1844,  Drs.  Carson,  Paul  B.  Goddard, 
Wm.  Poyntell  Johnson,  Caspar  Morris,  M.  P.  Hutchinson, 
James  B.  Rogers  and  William  W.  Gerhard,  became  the 
lecturers  in  the  Medical  Institute  of  Philadelphia,  which 
had  "  originated  under  the  auspices  of  Dr.  Chapman, 
Professor  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania." 

He  was  elected  a  physician  of  the  lying-in  department 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  to  fill  the  place  of  Dr.  Charles 
D.  Meigs,  resigned,  and  occupied  this  position,  associated 
with  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Hodge,  from  1849  until  May,  1854,  when 
this  part  of  the  hospital  was  closed. 

Dr.  Carson  was  elected  a  member  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society,  and  was  its  Curator  for  seventeen 
years;  he  also  served  on  the  publication  committee  and  on 
the  library  committee.  He  Avas  highly  esteemed  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Philadelphia  Trust 
and  Safe  Deposit  Company,  to  which  position  he  was  elected 


204  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

in  February,  1872.  There  were  various  other  associations 
Avith  which  he  was  connected.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
National  Convention  for  revising  the  Pharmacopoeia  of  the 
United  States,  and  served  on  the  Committee  of  Revision 
and  Publication  in  1860,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee and  President  of  the  Convention  in  1870.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Societ}^  and 
its  President  in  1862,  and  was  one  of  its  delegates  to  the 
Quarantine  Convention,  held  in  Cincinnati  in  May,  1861, 
He  was  elected  honorary  memljer  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  in  1870 ;  of 
the  State  Medical  Society  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy.  He  was  physician  of  the 
Foster  Home  in  1840,  and  was  elected  a  consulting  physi- 
cian of  the  Hospital  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
May,  1852.  He  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  in  December,  1838,  and  was  one  of  its  censors 
for  several  years,  and  continued  to  occupy  this  position  u]) 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  The  College  elected  him  as  one 
of  its  delegates  to  the  National  Medical  Convention  held  at 
Philadelphia,  May,  1847,  which  became  subsequently  the 
American  Medical  Association.  He  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Committee  on  Indigenous  Botany;  was  frequently 
appointed  a  delegate  to  the  annual  meetings  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  and  was  elected  one  of  the  College's 
representatives  to  the  International  Medical  Congress  of 
1876. 

We  have  next  to  consider  Dr.  Carson  from  the  time  he 
became  a  Professor  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
When  Dr.  George  B.  Wood  was  transferred  from  the  chair  of 
materia  medica  to  that  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  medi- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  205 

cine,  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Chapman,  Dr.  Carson  appHed  for  the  position,  now  without 
an  occupant  because  of  the  transfer.  His  well-earned  rcjui- 
tation,  and  his  already  established  position  as  a  learned  and 
successful  teacher  and  writer,  made  the  selection  an  easy 
one,  though  his  competitors  were  men  of  distinction.  He 
was  therefore  duly  elected,  and  assumed  the  responsibilities 
of  Professor  of  ^lateria  Medica  and  Therapeutics  in  the 
oldest  medical  school  in  America,  in  the  year  ISoO,  and 
held  this  chair  until  May,  1876,  a  period  of  twenty-six  years, 
when  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill-health,  and  was  then 
made  one  of  the  emeritus  professors  of  this  institution. 

Dr.  Carson  was  always  a  great  favorite  with  his  classes. 
His  genial  and  sympathetic  manner,  and  the  parental  regard 
he  manifested  towards  them,  created  a  strong  affection 
between  preceptor  and  pupils.  He  was  ever  ready  to  listen 
to  their  troubles,  and  help  them  out  of  their  difficulties ; 
and  these  intimate  and  kindly  relations  did  not  cease  witli 
graduation,  but  were  continued  by  correspondence,  which, 
increasing  year  by  year,  entailed  upon  the  kind  professor  a 
labor  which  few  knew  of  or  appreciated. 

He  was  not  a  voluminous  writer,  yet  what  his  pen 
undertook  was  accomplished  and  complete.  His  powers  of 
research  and  sound  discriminating  judgment,  made  all  his 
essays  studies  of  their  kind.  One  work,  however,  will  ever 
be  a  monument  of  his  ability  as  a  historian  ;  I  refer  to 
his  "  History  of  the  ]\Iedical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,"  a  work  which  cost  him  much 
labor,  and  displays  great  learning,  and  which  also  we 
should  look  up  as  a  testimonial  of  the  regard,  love,  and 
loyalty  which  he  bore  to  his  alma  mater,  and  the  theatre 


206  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  his  usefulness  and  fame.  Perhaps  it  was  this  work 
which  prevented  his  finding  time  to  write  a  book  on 
materia  medica,  which  was  his  intention.  His  admirable 
synopsis,  however,  may  be  considered  as  a  text-book  on 
this  branch. 

"  Blessed  with  an  accurate  and  retentive  memory,  he 
had  accumulated  by  extensive  reading  and  intercourse  with 
intelligent  men  at  home  and  in  different  parts  of  our 
country,  large  stores  of  precise  and  miscellaneous  informa- 
tion, from  which  he  drew  freely  on  appropriate  occasions. 
He  was  fluent  in  conversation,  and  ready  in  debate,  unsen- 
sual  and  unselfish  in  constitution,  placidly  cheerful  in  dis- 
position, and  always  self-possessed  and  respectful  in  his 
deportment  to  all.  He  quickly  made  friends,  and  was  rarely 
deserted  by  any  whom  he  had  once  attached  to  himself. 
He  was  considerate  towards  his  inferiors,  charitable  to  the 
indigent,  generous  to  the  unfortunate,  and  ever  ready  to 
contribute  from  his  stores  of  knowledge  to  assist  others  in 
their  pursuits." 

Bibliography. 

1.  "On  the  Erythraia  chilensis." — Journal  of  the  Philadelphia 
College  Pharmacy,  VI,  January,  1835. 

2.  "Notes  on  the  Species  of  Cassia  which  yield  Senna."  — 
American  Journal  Pharmacy,  October,  1836,  and  January,  1837. 

"Medico-botanical  Notices,"  Nos.  9-12. — American  Journal  Pharmacy, 
January,  1837. 

"Medico-botanical  Notices,"  No.  13. — American  Journal  Pharmacy, 
October,  1837. 

3.  "  Notes  on  the  Taccaoere." — American  Journal  Pharmacy,  January, 
1838. 

4.  "Notice  of  the  true  Jalap  plant." — American  Journal  Pharmacy, 
April,  1838. 

5.  "Medico-botanical  Notices,"  No.  14. — American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, July,  1838. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  207 

6.  "Note  upon  Gentiana  Chirayita.' '—Americaii  Journal  Phar- 
macy, April,  1840. 

7.  "Note  upon  tbe  Cincliona  hk-olorata.^^— American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, April,  1841. 

8.  " Observations  on  Zamia  integntoUa.''— American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, April,  1842. 

9.  "On  an  article  called  Texas  Sarsaparilla."— .4 menca?i  Journal 
Pharmacy,  January,  1844. 

10.  "Notice  of  some  Brazilian  Drugs.''— American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, July,  1845. 

11.  "  On  Driniys  chilensis,  The  Winter's  Bark  of  Chile.''— American 
Journal  Pharmacy,  June,  1847. 

12.  ' '  Illustrations  of  jNIedical  Botany,  consisting  of  coloured  figures  of 
the  plants  affording  the  important  articles  of  :SIateria  aiedica,  and  descriptive 
letter-press."  By  Joseph  Carson,  M.  D.  Quarto.  Eobert  P.  Smith.  Phila- 
delphia,  1847. 

13.  "On  Drim^-s  Winteri.— .-Imer/crtu  Journal  Pharmacy,  August, 
1847. 

14.  "An  Essay  on  Scammony,  with  an  examination  in  the  qual- 
ities of  the  drug  found  in  the  market."— American  Journal  Pharmacy, 
January,  1848. 

15.  "On  Black  Hellebore  (Helleborus  niger)."— ^mer/can  Journal 
Pharmacy,  July,  1848. 

16.  ' '  On  Quassia  amara. '  '—American  Journal  Pharmacy,  October,  1848. 

17.  "On  Quassia  excelsa. "— ^wmean  Journal  Pharmacy,  January, 
1849. 

18.  "  Note  on  India  Oimun."— American  Journal  Pharmacy.  July, 
1849. 

19.  "Note  on  India  Cinnamon  and  Eed  Sarsaparilla. "— .49»f /•/m/j 
Journal  Pharmacy,  October,  1849. 

20.  "Calisaya  Bark."— American  Journal  Pharmacy,  April,  1850. 

21 .  "  Eemarks  on  the  California  Nutmeg. ' '—American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, September,  1854. 

22.  "Note  on  Nectandra  Puchury-major  and  minor,  as  the  source 
of  Pichurim  oil,  Pichurim  bark  and  hean."— American  Journal  Pharmacy, 
September,  1855. 

23.  "On  the  Feciila  of  Alstr(emeria."—Ameriean  Journal  Phar- 
macy, July,  1860. 


208  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

24.  "On  the  source  of  the  Balsam  of  Peru," — American  Journal 
Pharmacy,  July,  1860. 

25.  "A  History  of  the  ]SIedical  Department  of  the  L^niversity  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  its  foundation  in  1765.  With  sketches  of  the  lives  of 
deceased  professors."  By  Joseph  Carson,  ]\I.  D.  8vo.,  pp.  227.  Lindsay 
and  Blakiston,  Philadelphia,  1869. 

J.  K.  ESHLEMANN. 

Dr.  J.  K.  Eshlemann  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  County, 
the  son  of  Jacob  Eshlemann,  an  extensive  land-owner  and 
miller,  residing  near  Leaman  Place  on  the  Pequea,  and  who 
was  called  by  his  neighbors  "  King  of  the  Octoraro,"  on 
account  of  his  owning  so  much  land  in  that  district.  He 
was  born  March  2,  1810,  and  at  an  early  age  developed 
a  fondness  for  study.  He  received  a  liberal  education 
under  the  eminent  instructor,  Dr.  Keagy,  of  Harrisburg,  and 
afterwards  of  Philadelphia.  Choosing  the  medical  pro- 
fession, he  graduated  with  honor  from  both  Castleton 
Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  the  Jefferson  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia.  He  located  at  Strasburg,  in  his  native 
county.  In  1840  he  married  Fanny  Edge,  the  second 
daughter  of  Ruth  and  the  late  John  Edge,  of  East  Cain,  in 
Chester  County,  and  in  1848  he  purchased  the  "  Glen  Isle 
Farm,"  where  he  resided  until  his  demise. 

His  great  fondness  for  pomology  and  botany  led  him  to 
develop  an  extensive  arboretum  of  ornamental  and  fruit- 
bearing  trees  and  small  fruits.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society  and  the  Fruit 
Growers'  Society,  and  in  recognition  of  his  attainments,  was 
made  the  first  president,  and  served  as  such  for  some  years. 
He  died  October  7,  1897,  leaving  a  wife,  two  daughters,  and 
six  grandchildren.* 


*  West  Chester  Local  Xeivs,  October  7,  1897. 


Tin-:    DOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  200 

TRAILL  GREEN. 

Dr.  Traill  Green  *  was  born  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania, 
May  25,  1813,  and  died  in  Kaston,  Pennsylvania,  April  29, 
1897.  From  early  youth  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  natural  history.  His  interest  in  science  led  him  to 
medicine.  Entering  the  medical  school  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  he  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1835. 

He  returned  to  Easton  and  established  a  practice  there. 
In  1837  he  was  made  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  Lafayette 
College.  He  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Rutgers  in 
1841,  and  was  later  called  to  the  chair  of  natural  science 
at  Marshall  College,  in  Mercersburg,  Pennsylvania  (1841- 
1848).  Here  he  pursued  botany  to  considerable  extent.  In 
1866  Washington  and  Jefferson  University  conferred  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  upon  him.  In  1865  he  was  elected  Pro- 
fessor of  Natural  Science  at  Lafayette  College.  He  presented 
the  astronomical  laboratory  to  Lafayette  College,  and  was 
always  deeply  interested  in  science.  From  1865-1891  he 
was  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  same  institution.  Dr. 
Green  w^as  a  member  of  many  different  scientific  societies, 
and  w^as  an  author  of  note,  having  written  a  number  of 
scientific  books  and  articles.  "  Zoological  and  Floral  Dis- 
tribution of  the  United  States  "  (1861)  seems  to  have  been 
the  only  botanical  article  from  his  pen.  With  all  the 
labor  implied  in  an  extensive  practice  and  a  professorship, 
he  found  time  for  other  w^ork.  He  had  classes  of  boys  and 
girls  in  botany,  and  it  was  a  rare  season  when  he  was  not 
instructing  somebody  in  the  natural  sciences. 

*  See  Lehigh  Valley  Medical  Magazine,  1897,  for  the  memorial  meeting  held 
in  Bethlehem,  June  18,  18y7,  and  reprint  "  In  Memoriam,"  with  photograph. 


210  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

JACOB  PAINTER. 

Jacob  Painter  was  born  June  22,  1814,  near  ]\Iedia, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  educated  at  a  school  in  Troy,  New 
York,  about  1836.  After  graduating  there,  he  journeyed  to 
Chicago  by  stage,  returning  to  his  home  in  Delaware 
County  by  the  national  road  to  Washington.  He  lived 
with  his  brother,  Minshall,  and  together  they  planted  an 
arboretum,  containing  later  a  number  of  fine  specimens. 
Jacob,  after  the  death  of  his  brother  in  1875,  went  to  Florida, 
enjoying  the  trip  so  much  that  he  never  ceased  talking  of 
it  until  his  death,  which  occurred  November  3,  1876.* 

AUBREY  H.  SMITH. 

Aubrey  H.  Smith,  son  of  Thomas  Smith,  a  member  of 
Congress  and  United  States  Senator,  who  had  an  estate  of 
3000  acres  at  Tinicum,  where  the  quarantine  station  now 
stands,  was  born  at  this  place  in  1815.  He  studied  law 
in  the  office  of  his  brother,  Israel  Taylor  Smith,  and 
practiced  at  the  Philadelphia  bar.  ^Ir.  Smith  was  counsel 
for  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company.  He  was  a 
friend  of  General  Grant,  and  during  the  first  presidential  term 
of  the  latter  he  was  United  States  District  Attorney.  Mr. 
Smith  was  an  active  botanist,  having  collected  extensively 
and  formed  an  excellent  and  extensive  herbarium,  which 
was  presented  to  the  Biological  School  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  after  his  decease.  He  presented  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  many  interesting 
botanical  communications,  having  been  elected  to  that  body 
March,  1876.  One  communication,  in  particular,  is  especially 
noteworthy — "  On  the  Colonies  of  Plants  observed  near  Phila- 


*  See  sketch  of  Minshall  Painter,  his  brother,  page  181. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  211 

delphia,"  printed  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  for  February,  18G7.  In  this  paper  Mr.  Smith  records 
observations  on  106  ballast  plants,  especially  from  the  South, 
as  found  on  the  ballast  heaps  of  Philadelphia.  For  some 
time  ^Ir.  Smith  botanized  with  Messrs.  Martindale,  Burk, 
Diffenbaugh  and  Parker,  and  it  is  to  the  labors  of  these 
men  conjointly  that  our  knowledge  of  the  recently  intro- 
duced floral  strays  is  due.  It  may  be  said  that  these 
observations  will  be  of  great  use  to  the  future  phyto- 
geographer,  who  may  desire  to  trace  geographically  the 
European,  Asiatic  and  South  American  plants,  introduced 
into  the  United  States  and  now  growing  spontaneously. 

Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  May  Rose  Grier,  a  daughter  of 
Justice  Grier,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  Before 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1891,  his  impaired  hearing 
kept  him  from  court-room  work,  and  his  time  was  devoted 
to  the  business  of  estates,  of  which  he  had  many  to  settle. 
His  death  resulted  from  pneumonia,  the  result  of  a  chill. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Smith  was  a  United  States 
Commissioner. 

JOHN  REDFIELD. 

On  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Connecticut,  and  near 
the  center  of  the  state  of  the  same  name,  is  to  be  found  the 
place  anciently  and  still  called  Middletown  ;  and,  in 
accordance  with  a  custom,  nowhere  so  common  as  in  New 
England,  of  retaining  for  off-shoots  from  the  original  settle- 
ments the  name  of  the  mother  town  with  a  prefix  or  sufiix, 
the  little  hamlet,  a  few  miles  up  the  river,  was,  of  old,  called 
by  the  somewhat  quaint  name  of  "  Middletown  Upper 
Houses,"  now  changed  to  the  unmeaning  one  of  Cromwell. 


212  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Here,  on  July  10, 1S15,  John  Redfield  *  was  born.  He  could 
claim  John  and  Priscilla  Alden  among  his  ancestors,  and 
was,  in  every  way,  of  pure  New  England  blood.  Many  of 
his  family  had  been  sea-captains,  a  vocation  nowhere  repre- 
sented by  more  honorable,  hardy  and  vigorous  men  than  on 
our  northern  coast.  His  father,  William  C.  Redfield,  at 
this  time  a  country  store-keeper  in  humble  circumstances, 
Avas  a  man  of  enterprising  character  and  of  an  unusually 
inquiring  and  vigorous  mind.  The  son  only  knew  his 
mother  as  an  invalid,  and  she  died  when  he  was  but  four 
years  old.  Our  friend's  first  public  education  came  from 
the  district  school,  which  his  father  had  taken  great  pains 
to  have  above  the  usual  standard.  In  addition,  there  were 
the  "  spelling  classes  "  and  "  friendly  associations,"  and  a 
small  circulating  library,  agencies  which  he  acknowledged 
to  have  been  aids  to  him  in  his  aspirations  for  knowledge. 

About  this  time  steam  navigation  was  occupying  his 
father's  mind,  and  after  some  efforts  in  that  way  on  the 
Connecticut,  his  attention  was  turned  to  the  Hudson.  He 
was  frequently  in  New  York  for  long  periods,  while  his 
son's  education  was  continued  for  a  year  and  a  half  at 
Stamford.  Finally,  in  1834  the  family  was  removed  to 
New  York.  The  boy  was  now  sent  to  the  High  School, 
where,  under  the  influence  and  instruction  of  one  of  the 
teachers,  a  Mr.  Barnes,  he  was  instructed  in  mineralogy, 
and  had  many  a  pleasant  ramble  in  the  country  in  his 
company.  His  school  education  was  finally  completed  by  a 
short  course,  which  he  provided  for  himself  at  a  private 
school,  but  between  these  two  periods  he  attended  the 
chemical  lecture  course  of  Dr.  John  Torrey,  an  association 

*  1895.     Torrey  Bulletin,  XX,  162,  with  portrait.     William  M.  Canby. 


JOHN  U.   KEDFIFJJ). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrillA.  213 

which  must  have  had  great  influence  in  his  pursuits  in 
after  life.  His  first  business  occupation  was  in  a  dry  goods 
store,  where  he  continued  long  enough  to  acquire  a  thorough 
detestation  of  it.  He  then  assisted  his  father  in  his  steam 
transportation  ventures,  and  this  occupied  his  business 
hours  for  many  years.  It  was  intensified  when,  in  1836,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  New  York  Lyceum  of  Natural 
History,  of  which  Dr.  Asa  Gray  Avas  then  the  librarian  and 
superintendent.  Here  was  commenced  that  friendship 
which  was  clestmed  to  be  close  and  lasting.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  he  acquired  a  taste  for  conchology,  in  which  he 
made  much  progress,  and  which  resulted  in  a  number  of 
papers  on  this  subject  published  in  the  Annals  of  the 
Lyceum.  He  thoroughly  explored  the  country  in  the 
vicinity,  over  land  much  of  which  is  now  closely  built 
upon,  and  in  every  way  which  the  time  at  his  command 
and  his  means  permitted,  strove  to  advance  the  scientific 
interests  of  himself  and  his  associates.  As  early  as  1846  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia.  In  18-13  he  made  a  very  happy  marriage, 
and  this,  perhaps,  was  the  eventual  cause  of  his  removal  to 
Philadelphia  in  1861,  where  he  long  held  a  prominent 
position  in  the  extensive  and  well-known  car-wheel  works 
of  A.  AVhitney  &  Sons,  with  the  members  of  which  his 
marriage  connected  him.  His  allegiance  was  necessarily 
transferred  from  the  Lyceum  to  the  Academy,  of  which  he 
soon  became  a  life  member,  and  was  gradually  advanced  to 
many  of  its  most  important  and  laborious  offices.  Thus,  in 
1870  he  became  a  member  of  its  Council,  and  was  also 
made  Conservator  of  its  Botanical  Section,  the  latter  a  most 
important  office,  as  it  placed  the  various  and  very  important 


214  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

herbaria  in  his  charge.  He  was  Corresponding  Secretary  of 
the  Conchological  Section  in  1879,  and  after  having  been 
long  a  member  of  its  PubHcation  Committee,  was  made  its 
chairman  in  1891.  It  will  thus  be  seen  how  important  his 
services  were  to  this  institution,  and  how  great  the  esteem 
in  which  his  good  sense  and  active  exertions,  as  well  as  his 
wise  and  thoughtful  counsel,  were  held  by  his  associates. 

But  beyond  all  this,  and  especially  after  his  retirement 
from  business  cares  in  1885,  he  accomplished  a  great  work 
wdiich  no  one  else  connected  with  the  Academy  had  time  to 
do,  and  for  which,  indeed,  no  one  was  better  fitted  than  he. 
When  he  took  charge  he  found  four  distinct  herbaria,  as 
follows :  that  of  Dr.  C.  W.  Short ;  that  of  De  Schweinitz,  com- 
posed principally  of  fungi,  very  many  of  them  types ;  the 
General  Herbarium,  and  the  North  American  Herbarium, 
the  latter  of  which  is  of  the  utmost  value,  not  only  because 
of  its  size  and  completeness,  but  also  because  it  contains  a 
large  number  of  type  specimens  of  Nuttall,  Pursh,  and 
others  of  the  early  botanists  of  the  country.  The  specimens 
in  these  were  loose  in  sheets  of  paper,  very  often  those  of 
more  than  one  collector  huddled  in  together,  with  the  laljels 
but  loosely  attached  to  the  specimens.  On  the  death  of 
Elias  Durand  only  one  w^orker  was  left  to  give  a  few  hours 
a  day  to  its  care.  Its  condition  may  be  imagined  by  the 
reply  of  Dr.  Gray  to  an  application  for  a  share  in  some 
specimens  * — "  What  is  the  use  of  throwing  valuable 
material  into  a  dust-bin."  With  great  care  and  good  judg- 
ment, and  an  indefatigable  energy,  he  brought  order  out  of 
this  confusion,  so  that  at  last  he  had  got  the  greater  and 
more  valuable  parts  of  the  herbaria  arranged  and  mounted 
and  properly  catalogued.      Nor  did  his   benefactions   end 

*  1895.    Botanical  Gazette,  XX,  p.  195. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  215 

with  this,  for  he  purchased  all  valuable  sets  of  plants,  and 
bestowed  them  upon  the  Academy.  The  tender  and  appre- 
ciative minute  adopted  by  it,  and  hereafter  appended,  is 
but  a  fitting  testimony  to  his  usefulness  and  unselfish 
devotion. 

Mr.  Red  field  lived  for  many  years  in  one  of  the 
pleasantest  parts  of  Philadelphia  and  quite  close  to  the 
Academy.  He  made  occasional  botanical  excursions,  of 
which  notable  ones  were  to  the  mountains  of  North 
Carolina,  in  company  with  Dr.  Gray  and  other  botanists. 
There  could  not  have  been  a  more  delightfully  cheering 
and  obliging  traveling  companion.  In  later  years  his 
summers  were  spent  on  Mount  Desert  Island.  The  excel- 
lent catalogue  of  its  flora,  lately  published  by  ]\Ir.  Rand  and 
himself,  attest  his  industry  while  there. 

It  is  impossible  to  speak  too  highly  of  Mr.  Redfield's 
personal  character.  Honorable,  sincere,  courteous,  cheerful, 
always  ready  to  do  a  kind  act  or  to  say  a  gracious  word,  he 
displayed  that  true  nobility  of  character  which  comes  of 
right  principle  faithfully  adhered  to,  yet  without  a  trace  of 
aceticism  or  austerity. 

After  some  weeks  of  failing  health,  he  died  on  the 
27th  of  February,  1895,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age. 

A  beautiful  western  grass,  the  Eedfieldia  flexuosa,  com- 
memorates his  name  and  services. 

The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  adopted  the  follow- 
ing minute : 

"  The  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia  has 
heard  with  deep  sorrow  the  announcement  of  the  death  of 
John  H.  Redfield,  who,  in  his  unselfish  devotion  to  its 
interests  has  long  been  one  of  its  most  active  benefactors. 


216  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

"  Always  an  earnest  student  of  nature,  his  last  years  of 
deserved  freedom  from  business  engagements  were  devoted 
to  his  favorite  studies  in  connection  with  the  Academy,  and 
to  the  arrangement  and  care  of  the  Herbarium. 

"  The  steady  growth  and  admirable  condition  of  the 
botanical  collection  constituted  an  enduring  memorial  of 
his  industry  and  zeal. 

"  As  Chairman  of  the  Publication  Committee  and  Mem- 
ber of  the  Council,  the  same  fidelity  and  discretion  charac- 
terized the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

''  He  w^as  a  man  of  strong  but  tender  character ;  firm  in 
his  support  of  the  right,  but  tolerant  of  all  honest  difference 
of  opinion ;  cheerful,  gentle,  modest  and  cultured.  Time  to 
him  was  one  of  his  most  precious  possessions,  yet  he  was 
ever  gladly  at  the  service  of  those  requiring  advice  or 
assistance. 

"  He  was  an  earnest  student,  a  wise  counsellor  and  a 
steadfast  friend.  His  encouragement  and  loving  sympathy 
endeared  him  to  his  associates,  who  felt  for  him  a  personal 
affection  which  enables  them  to  appreciate  the  irreparable 
loss  sustained  by  his  family,  to  whom  they  would  offer  their 
heartfelt  sj^mpathy." 

Testimonials  were  also  passed  by  the  New  York  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences  and  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club.  The 
Botanical  Section  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  of 
Philadelphia,  which  had  under  consideration  the  subject  of 
a  monument  commemorative  of  the  services  to  botanical 
science  of  the  late  Conservator  of  the  Herbarium  of  the 
Academy,  issued  a  circular,  as  follows :  * 


*  See  Science,  X.   S.,   1:470;   Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical   Club,   XXII  :  182. 
Philadelphia  Ledger,  April  2,  1895. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  217 

"  It  has  Ijcen  decided  that  no  better  monument  to  the 
memory  of  John  H.  Redfiekl  could  be  erected  than  to 
arrange  for  completmg  and  caring  for  the  work  he  loved, 
and  to  wliich  he  gave  freely  so  many  years  of  his  life — 
namely,  the  Herbarium  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 
Mainly  through  his  disinterested  labors,  it  stands  to-day 
scarcely  second  to  any  in  the  United  States,  containing, 
besides  many  unnamed,  over  35,000  named  species  of 
fiowermg  plants  and  ferns,  the  half  of  which  have  been 
verified  and  fastened  down. 

"  No  one  can  probably  be  found  to  give  the  years  of 
time  he  so  freely  gave.  In  order  to  carry  on  the  work,  and 
add  to  the  collection,  as  exploring  expeditions  afford  the 
opportunity,  it  has  been  proposed  to  establish  a  Redfiekl 
Memorial  Herbarium  Fund. 

"Mr.  Redfield's  will  jDrovides  that  his  herbarium, 
minerals,  shells  and  scientific  works  shall  be  sold  to  help 
the  Herbarium,  thus  furnishing  a  nucleus  for  the  proposed 
fund.  It  is  in  mind  to  raise  $20,000,  but  the  interest  of  any 
sum  that  may  be  contributed  can  at  once  be  made  avail- 
able. 

"Statements  will  be  furnished  from  time  to  time  to 
contril)utors,  keeping  them  informed  of  the  progress  of  the 
contributions." 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  Note  on  the  first  discovery  of  Schizsea  pusilla. " — Proceeding!^  Aca- 
demy Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1869  :  13. 

2.  ''  Search  for  Corema  Coiiradii  in  Monmouth  County,  X.  J." — Pro- 
ceedings Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1869  :  91  :  American  Natu- 
ralist, III  :  327. 

3.  "Are  certain  Species  of  Botrychium  epiphytic?" — Proceedings 
Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1870  :  91. 


218  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

4.  "  Tetramerism  in  Lilium  auratura,  Lindl." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botan- 
ical Club,  II  :  32.     August,  1874. 

5.  "Oaks  and  'Mistletoe.^ ^—Bulletin   Torrey  Botanical  Club,  IV  :  13. 
(1873). 

6.  "Fertilization  of  Asarum  Canadense.'^— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  IV  :  21.     (1873.) 

7.  "Dr.  Torrey  and  Torrey 's  Fea]^.''— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
V:  18.     (1874.) 

8.  "On  Aspleuium  ebenoides. '  '—Proceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences, 
Philadelphia,   1874  :  155. 

9.  "Geographical  Distribution  of   the  Ferns  of  North  America."— 
Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  VI  :  1.     (1875.) 

10.  "  Notes  upon  Anychia  dichotoma.'" —Bullet in  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
VI  :  61.     (1875.) 

11.  "Note  upon  Dr.  Torrey 's  First  Trip  to  the  New  Jersey  Pines, 
prefixed  to  a  letter  of  his,  July  9,  1818.''— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
VI  :  82.     (1876.) 

12.  "Notice  of  the  Botanical  Correspondence  of  Zaccheus  Collins  in 
possession  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  "—Pro- 
ceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1876  :  81.     (1876.) 

13.  "Southern  Localities  of  Lygodium  palmatum. " — Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  VI  :  232.     (1878.) 

14.  "  Obituary  notice  of  Robert  H.  Browne. " — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  VI  :  291.     (1879.) 

15.  ' '  Aspidium  aculeatum  in  Pennsylvania. ' ' — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  VI  :  291.     (1879.) 

16.  "Aspidium  aculeatum  at  Bushnellsville  Clove  in  Catskill  Moun 
tains."— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  VI  :  331.     (1879.) 

17.  "Notes  of  a  Botanical  Excursion  into  North  Carolina." — Bulletin 
Torrey  Botanical  Club,  VI  :  331.     (1879.) 

18.  "  Dissent  from  Mr.  Meehan's  Views  upon  the  Timber-line  of  high 
Mountains." — Proceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1880  : 
345.     (1880.) 

19.  "  Herbarium  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia." 
Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  VIII  :  42.     (1881.) 

20.  "The  Muhlenberg  Herbarium." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
VIII  :  80.     (1881.) 

21.  "Aspidium  Lonchitis,  Swz.  in  Colorado." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  VIII  :  105.     (1881.) 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADP:LPHIA.  219 

22.  "Occurrence  of  Hieraciiim  aurantiacum,  in  the  Catskill  Moun- 
tains. "—^M/Ze^m  7'onT^  J5otomeaZ  OZwft,  8  :  112;  Proceedings  Academy  Natural 
Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1881  :  429.     (1881.) 

23.  "Biographical  Sketch  of  Dr.  William  Ba\d^ym.'' —  Botanical 
Gazette,  VIII  :  233.     (1883.) 

24.  "  Note  upon  the  Date  of  a  Letter  from  Dr.  Torrey  to  Amos  Eaton." 
—Botanical  Gazette,  VIII  :  317.      (1883.) 

25.  "  Corema  Conradii  and  its  Localities.  "—5«7/e^m  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XI  :  97.     (1884.) 

26.  "  Obituary  Notice  of  John  Willmmson.''— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XI  :  104.     (1884.) 

27.  ' '  Further  Notes  upon  Corema  Conradii. '  '—Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XII  :  93.     (1885.) 

28.  "Insular  Vegetation,  Flora  of  Great  Duck  Island,  Maine."— 
Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XII  :  103.     (1885.) 

29.  "On  the  Flora  of  Martha's  Vineyard  and  Nantucket."— Pro- 
ceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1885  :  378.     (1885. ) 

30.  "Still  further  Notes  upon  Corema  Qoiw^aliV'— Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  XIII  :  220.     (1886.) 

31.  "Euphrasia  officinalis  on  the  Coast  of  Usime.''— Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  XIII  :  232.     ( 1886. ) 

32.  "On  Insular  Floras. "—PjtZ/e^m  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XIII  :  245. 

(1886.) 

33.  "Re-discovery  of  Corema  Conradii  in  Monmouth  County,  New 
Jersey.^'— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XVI  :  192  (1889)  ;  Proceedings 
Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1889  :  135. 

34.  "  Pinus  Banksiaua  with  Corema  Conradii  on  Schoodic  Peninsula, 
Coast  of  Maine.''— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XVI  :  295  (1889);  Pro- 
ceedings Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1889  :  344. 

35.  "Stellaria  humifusa  on  the  Coast  of  Uaine.''— Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  XVII  :  38.     ( 1890. ) 

36.  "Notice  on  the  Occurrence  of  Scabiosa  australis  near  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts.  "—Pi(/Zefm  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XIX  :  341.     (1892.) 

37.  "Obituary  Notice  of  Isaac  C.  Martindale."— P«//e//«  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  XX  :  98.     (1893.) 

38.  "A  Preliminary  Catalogue  of  the  Plants  Growing  on  Mount  Desert 
and  the  adjacent  Islands.  By  Edward  L.  Rand  and  John  H.  Redfield. 
Cambridge,  1894.     Octavo  pp.  286. 


220  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

ISAAC  BURK. 

Isaac  Burk,  one  of  the  best  informed  of  local  Phila- 
delphia botanists,  was  born  at  Aston,  Delaware  County, 
September  1,  1S16.  He  removed  to  Philadelphia  in  1838, 
where  he  opened  a  merchant-tailor  shop  on  Spruce  Street, 
below  Sixth.  He  also  had  a  store  on  Coates  Street,  now 
Fairmount  Avenue.  Having  veiy  poor  health,  he  was 
advised  by  his  physician  to  seek  out-door  employment,  and 
heeding  his  physician's  advice,  he  purchased  a  Ledger  route, 
which  he  held  for  thirty  years.  He  was  a  student  of  botany 
from  his  boyhood,  and  his  love  for  the  science  did  not 
desert  him  in  manhood,  for  all  of  his  leisure  time  was  spent 
in  making  collections  of  plants  and  in  the  study  of  natural 
history  in  general.  He  helped  to  classify  and  arrange  the 
plants  in  the  collection  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
of  which  he  was  a  life  member.  In  1880  he  presented  his 
entire  herbarium,  which  represented  so  many  years  of  toil 
and  collection,  to  the  Biological  DejDartment  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  where  it  is  carefully  maintained  as 
a  special  collection  especially  rich  in  local  and  introduced 
plants.  The  ballast  plants,  to  which  i\Ir.  Burk  gave  so 
much  attention,  are  especially  well  represented.  Mr.  Burk 
was,  in  several  cases,  the  first  botanist  to  report  the  intro- 
duction of  weeds  to  this  country,  which  have  since  become 
so  widely  distributed.  It  is  to  this  side  of  his  botanical  work 
that  we  must  look  for  the  most  valuable  results  achieved  for 
science.  He  was  familiar  with  the  literature  relating  to 
plants,  and  was  the  author  of  a  series  of  articles  on  the 
Flora  of  Fairmount  Park,  which  appeared  in  the  Public 
Ledger  of  Philadelphia,  prior  to  the  Centennial  year. 
Several    articles    from    his    pen    were    published    in     the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  221 

Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  In  ISSS  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society.  On  March  30,  1803,  Isaac  Burk  died  of  general 
paralysis.  He  was  warned,  however,  by  premonitory 
symptoms,  for  once  while  arranging  the  plants  in  the  her- 
barium at  the  University,  while  on  the  ladder,  he  toppled 
over  and  fell ;  so  ardent  was  his  desire  to  leave  the  botanical 
collection  at  the  University  in  good  shape  for  future  useful- 
ness. He  had  ten  children,  of  whom  four  survive :  Rev. 
Jesse  Y.  Burke,  Rector  of  St.  Peter's  P.  E.  Church,  Clarks- 
boro,  New  Jersey,  and  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania ;  Addison  B.  Burk, 
Assistant  Managing  Editor  of  the  Public  Ledger ;  Charles 
Burk,  Foreman  in  Collins'  Printing  House,  and  the  late  Dr. 
William  H.  Burk,  for  years  Associate  Editor  of  the  Public 
Ledger  and  Botanist  of  the  Peary  Expedition  to  the  Arctic 
regions  in  1891. 

FRANCIS  WOLLE. 

After  a  painful  and  protracted  illness,  Rev.  Francis 
Wolle  *  died  at  his  home  in  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania, 
February  10,  1895. 

He  was  born  at  Jacobsburg,  Northampton  County, 
Pennsylvania,  December  17,  1817.  His  ancestors,  for  two 
generations,  were  conspicuously  associated  with  the  Moravian 
Society,  and  during  his  long  and  useful  life  he  was  always 
prominent  in  the  Moravian  Church  and  educational  affairs. 
Although  a  few  of  his  earlier  years  were  spent  in  business, 
he  soon  turned  his  attention  to  teaching  as  his  life-work, 
and  in  1858  he  became  Vice-Principal  of  tlie  celebrated 

*1893.    Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XX,  p.  2n.     C.  11.  Kain. 


222  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Moravian  Seminary  for  Young  Ladies,  at  Bethlehem,  Penn- 
sylvania. In  1861  he  became  Principal  of  the  institution, 
and  conducted  its  affairs  with  marked  ability  until  1881, 
when  the  increasing  infirmities  of  age  necessitated  his 
seeking  rest. 

From  his  childhood  the  study  of  natural  history  was 
his  favorite  pursuit,  and  after  his  retirement  from  active 
professional  work  in  1881,  he  devoted  himself  to  it  with  more 
ardor  than  ever.  He  was  especially  known  among  botanists 
as  an  authority  on  fresh-water  algse  and  desmids.  In 
1884  he  published  his  "  Desmids  of  the  United  States  and 
List  of  Pediastrums.*  The  volume  contained  1100  illustra- 
tions on  fifty-three  colored  plates.  This  was  followed  in  1887 
by  two  volumes  on  "  The  Fresh-water  Algae  of  the  United 
States,  complimental  to  Desmids  of  the  United  States."t 
This  work  was  illustrated  by  117  colored  plates,  embracing 
2300  figures.  In  1891  he  brought  out  a  work  the 
"  Diatomaceee  of  North  America."  %  This  contained  2300 
figures  on  120  plates.  All  of  the  illustrations  enumerated 
were  photo-lithographs  from  India-ink  sketches  made  by  the 
author.  During  1892  there  appeared  a  revised  and  enlarged 
edition  of  the  "  Desmids  of  the  United  States." 

His  contributions  to  cryptogamic  botany  are  recog- 
nized b}^  scientists  at  home  and  abroad  as  standard  works 

*  "Desmids  of  the  United  States  and  List  of  American  Pediastrums,''  ivith 
eleven  hundred  illustrations  on  fifty-three  colored  plates,  by  the  Rev.  Francis  Wolle, 
Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.    Moravian  Publication  OflBce,  1884,  pp.  xiv,  168. 

t  "Fresh-water  Algce  of  the  United  States  {exclusive  of  the  Diatomacece)  com- 
plimental to  Desmids  of  the  United  States,"  with  2300  illustrations  covering  one  Jiun- 
dred  and  fifty-one  plates.  A  few  colored,  including  nine  additional  plates  of 
Desmids,  by  the  Rev.  Francis  Wolle,  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.  The  Comenius 
Press,  1S87. 

I  "Diatomacece  of  North  America."  Illustrated  with  twenty-three  hundred 
figures,  from  the  author's  drawings,  on  one  hundred  and  twelve  plates,  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  Wolle,  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.     The  Comenius  Press,  1890. 


% 


FRANCIS   WOLLE. 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHlr.ADKLl'IIIA.  223 

Of  great  value.  The  ,.a,-.icular  field  of  his  im-estigations 
had  previously  l.een  but  little  worked,  but  his  labo.-s  have 
stimulated  research  in  these  very  attractive  by-paths  of 
science.  He  will  long  be  remembered  bv  those  who  were 
his  friends  and  correspondents  for  his  kindliness  of  heart 
as  well  as  for  his  conscientious  care  in  the  department  of 
science,  to  ^^•Im•ll  he  devoted  the  energies  of  his  later  years. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "Fresh-^yater  Algv^.^'-Botanical  Gazette,  III-IV  •  68 

2.  -Mosses  of  Pennsylvania. "-T^om^^  Bulletin,  VI  •  36 

137,  181.  ""^"^'""''^^    ^^^"'"    ^-   ^'   ^'   ^-Torre,  BuUetin,   VI:  121, 
4.   ;;ANostoc,theMatrixofScytonema.''-r..,^5,,,^^^^^^^^  ,.,  .  ,^^ 

ls~s  '  "  T  "^"f '"  ^'^"'     ^^°'^'^  ^'  ^i^o..n..  and  Researches  in 
lb iS.''~To,r€y  BulJetin,  VI  :  281. 

6.   ''Fresh-water  Alg.^,"  No.  ^.^Torrey  Bulletin,  VII  •  43 
-   "^^ew  American  Desmids."-Jb,r.^  5u//e/m,  VII  •  91 

XIII :  56."  ''""""'  ""'"  °'"''^  °'  "^  ^"""'  States."-r„,.,.e,  iJ„...-„, 

HALLIDAY  JACKSON. 

Halliday  Jackson,*  son  of  Halliday  and  Jane  (Hou<.h) 
Jackson,  was  born  near  Darby,  Delaware  County,  Perm- 
sylvania,  December  27,  1817.  His  lather  was  a  prominent 
-ember  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  earlv  life  ^ 
tu-o  yeai-s  among  the  Seneca  Indians,  instructhig  them  in 
vanous  industrial  pursuits,  and  in  1830  publishe,!  a  work 
on  the     Civilization  of  the  Indian  Nations  " 

;  Hallida3-  Jr.,  attended  Friends'  School  at  Darbv,  and 
ass,sted_on   the  farm.     At  the  age  of  seventeen,  aft'e;  the 

*  1888.    Halliday  JACKsos-poems. 


224  THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

death  of  his  father,  he  went  to  the  boarding-school  of 
Samuel  Smith,  in  Wilmington,  Delaware.  The  following- 
winter  was  spent  at  the  school  of  Benjamin  Hallowell,  at 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  upon  his  return  he  made  his 
home  with  his  brother,  John,  who  founded  Sharon  Boarding- 
school.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  commenced  teaching- 
school,  an  occupation  he  continued  for  several  3^ears. 

In  1846  he  married  Caroline  Hoopes,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Eliza  Hoopes,  of  West  Goshen,  Chester  County, 
Pennsylvania.  In  1846  he  was  chosen  Principal  of  Friends' 
Institute  in  the  City  of  New  York ;  this  position  he  held 
for  five  years.  While  there  he  met  with  a  sad  bereavement 
in  the  loss  of  his  wife,  leaving  him  with  one  son.  In  1854 
he  married  Emily  Hoopes,  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Return- 
ing from  New  York  he  continued  teaching  until  1 863,  when 
his  health  became  impaired,  and  in  order  to  have  the 
benefit  of  out-door  life,  he  purchased  a  farm  near  West 
Chester,  where  he  lived  until  1881,  when  he  removed  to  the 
town. 

In  the  summer  of  1883  he  spent  some  time  in  the 
mountains  of  Western  North  Carolina,  and  most  of  the 
winter  of  1884-85  in  Florida,  studying  the  botany  and 
zoology  of  that  region.  He  had  a  large  herbarium, 
acquired  by  personal  collection  and  by  exchange.  Dr. 
Darlington  mentions  him  frequently  in  the  "  Flora  Cestrica." 
He  also  had  considerable  collections  of  alg^e  and  fungi. 
He  owned  one  of  the  first  microscopes  made  by  Zentmayer, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life 
devoted  much  time  to  microscopy,  studying  especially 
cryptogamic  botany.  His  collection  of  plants  was  depos- 
ited at  Swarthmore  College  after  his  death,  which  occurred 
August  6,  1887. 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    rillLADELPIIIA.  225 

EDWARD  TATNALL. 

Edward  Tatiuill  was  born  on  the  30th  of  September,  in 
the  year  ISIS,  in  the  village  of  Brandywine,  then  a  suburb 
of  the  Borough  of  Wilmington,  Delaware,  now  a  ward  of 
that  city.  His  first  botanical  lessons  were  under  Joseph  C. 
Strode,  at  East  Bradford,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 
and  as  botany  was  taught  in  that  day  (by  memorizing  pages 
of  glossary),  the  class  of  fourteen  was  disgusted,  saying,  if 
that  was  botany  they  wanted  none  of  it.  Edward,  alone^ 
scaled  the  glossary  wall. 

He  collected  many  plants  in  Chester  County  in  1S31 
and  1832,  and  in  1833  and  1834,  w^hile  attending  Haverford 
College,  also  many  in  Delaware  County,  Pennsylvania.  In 
1867  he  spent  three  months  in  traveling  through  the  far 
West,  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  by 
private  conveyance,  which  afforded  opportunity  for  collect- 
ing many  specimens.  At  Chicago,  then  a  village,  he 
collected  seven  plants  between  the  "  Lake  House  "  and  the 
lake  shores.  The  trip  extended  to  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin, 
and  later,  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  where  there  were  no 
signs  of  any  habitation.  About  1853  he  first  visited  Dr.  Dar- 
lington at  West  Chester,  seeking  advice  about  a  Scutellaria, 
found  on  the  rocky  banks  of  Brandywdne  Creek,  which  he 
pronounced  to  be  a  variety  of  S.  nervosa,  but  which  Avas 
afterward  described  as  S.  saxatilis  Ridd.  It  is  the  only 
known  locality  east  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

On  June  3,  1859,  he  forwarded  to  Dr.  Gray  specimens 
of  Potamogeton  crispus,  which  before  that  time  had  been 
denied  an  existence  in  this  country.  Dr.  Gray  replied  in 
his  usual  laconic  style :  "  The  Potamogeton  is  P.  crispus 
exactly,  and  you  have  fixed  it  as  a  native  of  this  country." 


226  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

On  the  ninth  he  writes :  "  I  have  made  a  note  of  this  dis- 
covery in  the  July  number  of  Silliman's  Journal.  *  *  * 
I  think  it  very  interesting." 

In  1860  Mr.  Tatnall  published  a  catalogue  of  the  plants 
of  New  Castle  County,  Delaware,  and  among  others  he  sent 
a  copy  to  Dr.  Gray,  who  says :  "  I  have  yours  of  the  14th 
and  the  catalogue.  This  looks  very  well,  indeed.  I  see  no 
cause  for  you  to  be  ashamed  of  it."  July  25th  he  writes  : 
"  In  spite  of  the  perfect  (mostly)  flowers,  your  plant  is 
Sagittaria  calycina  Englm.  Glad  to  have  it."  June  1,  1860, 
he  says :  "  It  would  be  well,  I  think,  to  dry  a  good  number 
of  specimens  of  P.  crispus,  a  species  which  no  one  but  your- 
self has  detected  in  this  country."  It  was  collected  later  by 
others:  Meehan,  Hoopes,  Porter.  December  17,  1861,  Dr. 
Gray  relaxes  his  style  in  saying :  "  Your  specimen  (Lychnis 
vespertina)  in  letter  of  14th  inst.,  which  I  asked  for  to  swear 
by,  came  in  a  condition  tempting  the  profane  rather  to  swear 
at,  being  well  smashed  up."  W.  T.  SuUivant,  in  a  letter 
November  19,  1860,  in  a  humorous  way,  says :  "  Thanks  for 
the  two  Sagittarias.  Ph^enogamous  botany,  though  I  am 
sorry  to  say  '^  "^  *  Avith  me  is  divided  into  two  parts — 
one  that  I  knew  but  have  forgotten,  and  the  other  I  never 
knew." 

During  the  season  of  1895  Mr.  Tatnall,  then  in  his 
seventy-eighth  year,  made  twenty-eight  pedestrian  trips 
through  the  county,  averaging  ten  miles  each,  collecting 
many  specimens,  very  few,  however,  that  were  new. 

Mr.  Tatnall  died  suddenly  at  Wilmington,  May  30, 
1898,  in  his  eightieth  year.* 


See  Botanical  Gazette,  XXVI :  37S,  November,  189S. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  227 

BENJAMIN  M.  EVERHART. 

Benjamin  M.  Everliart,  for  many  years  associated  with 
J.  B.  Ellis  in  the  study  of  the  fungi,  was  born  in  1818.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  mycologists  that  America  has  ever  pro- 
duced, having  done  much  good  work  with  Mr.  Ellis  in  the 
description  of  new  and  rare  plants.  Having  kept  a  general 
store  in  West  Chester,  in  which  he  took  much  pride,  Mr. 
Everhart  amassed  a  considerable  fortune,  and  is  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  West  Chester.  By  his 
neighbors  he  is  considered  rather  unapproachable  and 
peculiar,  and  a  man  ready  to  push  a  close  bargain.  His 
study  occupies  a  separate  building  from  the  house,  which  is 
a  large  brick  one,  rather  over-furnished  within.  In  person 
Mr.  Everhart  is  a  man  of  striking  appearance  ;  his  nose  is 
aquiline,  his  forehead  low,  his  beard  is  scant  and  fringing, 
his  eyes  are  bright,  and  his  smile  pleasant.  At  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  he  is  still  a  man  of  considerable  activity, 
although  slightly  deaf.* 

CHARLES  E.  SMITH. 

Charles  E.  Smith  f  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on  the  1st 
of  November,  1820,  the  son  of  Charles  E.  and  Mary  (Ogden) 
Smith.  His  parents  were  of  the  strictest  sect  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  and  Mr.  Smith  was  carefully  brought  up  in  the 
principles  and  faith  of  this  peculiar  but  admirable  people. 
He  owes  much  for  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  own 
character  to  the  firm,  sound  character  of  his  parents.  He 
was  a  student  for  three  years  at  the  Westtown  school,  but 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  began  the  practical  work  of  his  life. 

*  A  visit  was  paid  to  Mr.  Everhart  in  1895  by  the  writer,  in  company  with  Dr. 
William  Sharp] ess,  of  West  Chester. 

t  1893.  The  National  Magazine.  A  Monthly  Journal  of  American  History. 
April,  XVII,  p.  ,567.  Article  by  L.  A.  Bond.  (The  National  History  Company,  132 
Nassau  Street,  New  Vork.) 


228  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

His  first  efforts  were  along  the  lines  of  his  greatest 
future  usefulness.  He  was  attached  to  an  engineer  corps 
which  had  in  hand  the  survey  and  construction  of  a 
railroad  from  Blossburg,  Tioga  County,  Pennsylvania,  to 
Corning,  NeAV  York.  This  is  the  present  Tioga  Railroad. 
The  character  of  the  service  which  young  Smith  rendered 
in  the  construction  of  the  road,  and  the  impression  upon 
others  which  his  faithfulness  and  signal  abilities  made,  are 
shown  by  the  fact  that  upon  its  completion  he  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  the  new  line.  Later  on,  this  supervision 
was  extended  over  the  Blossburg  coal  mines  as  well. 

Mr.  Smith  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  1844,  and  very 
soon  thereafter  entered  into  business  on  his  own  account.  He 
built  the  Fairmount  Rolling-mill  in  1846,  but  the  repeal  of 
the  tariff  that  same  year  made  it  unprofitable.  He  sold 
out  his  interest  to  his  partners,  and  soon  thereafter  became 
manager  of  the  extensive  Rensselaer  Iron  Works,  at  Troy, 
New  York.  These  works  were  the  first  in  the  Empire  State 
to  engage  in  the  construction  of  railroad  iron. 

Mr.  Smith  presently  became  the  chief  organizer  of  the 
most  famous  coalition  ever  created  in  the  iron  industries. 
In  December,  1849,  a  convention  of  the  iron  manufacturers 
of  Pennsylvania  was  held  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia.  The 
object  was  to  co-operate  in  an  effort  to  secure  a  re-enactment 
of  the  tariff  of  1842,  which  had  protected  their  interests  and 
was  necessary  for  their  future  prosperity.  But  it  was  found 
at  the  convention  that  they  were  all  strangers  to  one 
another.  Some  preliminary  acquaintance  must  be  secured. 
In  this  dilemma  Mr.  Smith  volunteered  to  canvass  the  entire 
State  of  Pennsylvania  and  to  present  a  report  of  his  trip. 
The   report   drawn  up  by   Mr.    Smith  was  presented  and 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  229 

printed,  and  tliis  was  the  origin  of  the  American  Iron  Asso- 
ciation. It  continued  under  that  name  until  1804,  when  the 
present  designation,  the  American  Iron  and  Steel  Associa- 
tion, was  adopted. 

In  1861  Mr.  Smith  was  elected  President  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Reading  Railroad  Company.  He  held  this 
position  throughout  the  Civil  War,  and  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  1869.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  interested  with 
various  important  enterprises.  Mr.  Smith  has  always  held 
a  high  position  socially.  In  1877,  and  again  in  1878,  he 
was  elected  President  of  the  Union  League  of  Philadelphia. 
Other  similar  honors  have  been  conferred  upon  him.  For 
many  years  he  has  identified  himself  with  the  Botanical 
Section  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  in  connection 
with  which  he  has  done  much  active  work.  He  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Herbarium  and  has  done  much 
to  extend  its  usefulness  to  the  w^orking  botanist  by  identi- 
fying and  studying  the  plants  therein  contained. 

CHARLES  F.  PARKER. 

Charles  F.  Parker  "^  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  November 
9,  1820.  His  mother  dying  when  he  was  but  an  infant,  he 
was  deprived  of  that  stimulation  and  encouragement  which 
a  mother  alone  can  give.  His  father,  being  in  humble 
circumstances,  was  able  to  give  him  but  a  limited  education. 
Charles,  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  be  of  any  service, 
was  apprenticed  to  book -binding,  his  father  having  long 
been  engaged  in  that  business. 

He  remained  in  Philadelphia  until  about  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  when  he  went  to  Boston  and  engaged  in 


Proceedings  of  Academy  of  Natio'al  Sciences,  1883,  p.  260. 


230  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

the  same  business.  After  residing  there  about  two  3^ears  he 
married  Mary  Kellom,  and  in  1851  left  Boston  and  moved  to 
Leominister,  where  he  opened  a  book-store,  and  carried  on 
book-binding  on  his  own  account.  This  business  enter- 
prise, not  being  so  successful  as  he  had  hoped,  was 
abandoned  in  1853,  and  he  removed  to  Camden,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  resided  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
About  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  his  father 
married  again,  and  when  the  father  died  in  1835,  his  widow 
continued  to  carry  on  the  book-binding  business,  and  Charles 
became  a  partner,  and  assumed  the  management,  subse- 
quently conducting  the  work  on  his  own  account. 

During  the  early  part  of  his  life  he  did  not  manifest 
any  especial  interest  in  natural  history,  yet  for  a  long  time 
he  was  a  companion  of  C.  S.  Rafinesque,  the  well-known 
naturalist,  who  boarded  in  the  same  house.  This  was 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  life  of  Rafinesque,  when  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  medicines.  Very  soon 
after  removing  to  Camden,  Charles  Parker  became  inter- 
ested in  conchology  and  entomology,  which  he  pursued 
industriously.  He  became  acquainted  with  members  of 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  was  elected  a 
member  of  that  body  August  29,  1865.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  curators. 

Although  he  continued  his  interest  in  the  study  of  con- 
chology, he  seemed  to  have  taken  an  especial  fondness  for 
the  study  of  botany,  which  he  never  allowed  to  falter.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  to  discover  that  the  ballast  deposits 
in  and  around  Philadelphia  and  Camden  were  prolific  in 
introduced  plants,  and  his  knowledge  of  conchology  some- 
times enabled  him  to  determine  the  part  of  the  world  from 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  231 

which  those  deposits  came,  as  occasionally  fragments  of 
shells  were  found  therein. 

In  one  of  his  journeyings  to  the  swamps  of  Cape  May 
County  he  met  Colonel  F.  Austin,  the  noted  cryptogamic 
botanist,  who  died  at  Closter,  New  Jersey,  a  few  years  ago, 
and  who  at  that  time  was  engaged  in  the  study  of  the  flora 
of  New  Jersey.  There  at  once  sprang  up  a  real  friendship 
between  them,  which  increased  as  time  advanced,  termi- 
nating only  when  Austin  died.  The  interest,  however, 
which  had  been  created  to  endeavor  to  complete  a  list  of 
the  plants  of  New  Jersey  was  not  allowed  to  abate.  A  pre- 
liminary catalogue  was  later  compiled  by  Professor  N.  L. 
Britton,  and  printed  under  the  auspices  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  the  State,  in  which  the  name  of  C.  F.  Parker  fre- 
quently appears.  Probably  no  botanist  made  more  frequent 
visits  to  the  pine  barrens  and  swamps  of  New  Jersey,  nor 
collected  so  extensively  as  he  did.  The  collection  of  New 
Jersey  plants  which  he  has  left  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
perfect  that  exists,  and  is,  of  itself,  a  monument  of  patience 
and  skill  of  which  any  one  might  feel  proud. 

Paralysis  of  the  brain  terminated  his  life  on  the  7th 
day  of  September,  1883,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age. 

WILLIAM  QAMBEL. 

William  Gambel  "^  was  born  in  New  Jersey  about  18*21. 
In  his  boyhood  he  seems  to  have  attracted  the  attention  of 
Thomas  Nuttall,  who  employed  him  as  an  assistant  in  his 
trips.  In  1844  Gambel  journeyed  to  the  southern  Rocky 
Mountains  with  a  party  of  trappers  on  an  ornithological 
and  botanical  trip,  for  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 

*  Sargent.    Silva  of  XorOi  America,  VIII,  35. 


232  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Philadelphia.  The  published  account  of  his  travels,  entitled 
*'  Description  of  Plants  collected  by  William  Gambel,  M.  D., 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Upper  California,"  by  Thomas 
Kuttall,  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  2d  ser.,  1 :  149  (1847-50).  In  this  paper  Gambel's 
name  is  perpetuated  in  a  scrophulariaceous  plant,  Gamhelia 
speciosct,"^  a  figure  of  this  plant  with  description  being  pub- 
lished. Returning  to  Philadelphia  the  following  year,  he 
entered  the  Medical  School  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  which  he  graduated  in  1848.  He  was  made 
Recording  Secretar}^  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy,  but 
resigned  from  this  position  the  following  year  to  accompany  a 
party  organized  by  I.  J.  Wistar  to  cross  the  continent  to  the 
California  gold  fields.  The  leader,  Isaac  J.  Wistar,  became 
afterward  a  distinguished  ofiicer  in  the  Union  army,  a 
philanthropist  and  President  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences.  The  party  started  from  Independence,  Missouri, 
about  the  first  of  May,  and  traveled  up  the  Platte  River,  where 
Gambel  left  to  join  a  party  of  jMissourians,  led  by  Captain 
Boone,  of  Kentucky.  Gambel's  fate  is  described  in  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter  from  General  Wistar  to  Professor 
Sargent :  "  In  the  year  1850,  I  met  two  men  of  Boone's 
train  at  Foster's  Bar,  who  gave  me  the  first  information 
I  had  received  of  the  fate  of  the  majority  of  the  overland 
party.  Being  well  furnished  and  provisioned,  and  mostly 
older  men  than  me,  they  traveled  leisurely  and  reached 
the  Sierras  only  in  October.  After  the  loss  of  most  of  their 
cattle  and  consequent  abandonment  of  many  wagons  in  the 
Humboldt  Desert,  they  were  caught  by  snow  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  instead  of  abandoning  the  remainder  and  pushing 

*  See  Meehan.    Native  ferns  and  flowers  of  the  United  States,  ser.  2,  II  :  62. 


THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  9.33 

through,  they  canipe.l  to  await  better  weather,  wliich  did 
not  come.     But  few  got  across  the  range,  including  (iamljel 
and  these  saved  little  l,ut  what  they  stood  in.     M'ith  num- 
bers rapidly  diminishing  the  remnant  j.ushed  on  .lown  to 
Rose's  Bar,  where  several,  including  Gambel,  died  almost 
nnmediately  of  typhoid  fever.    Gambel  was  buried  on  the 
Bar  wlach,  however,  as  I  have  understood,  has  since  been 
entirely  removed  by  hydraulic  mining.    His  death  occurred 
m  the  latter  part  of  November,  1S40.  and   I  have  never 
since  seen  any  of  the  survivors  of  Ins  i,arty  or  heard  any 
further  particulars. 

"  He  was  a  genial,  kindly  man   and  delightful  com- 
panion, but  averse  to  a  rough  life,  hard  work  and  short 
commons,  then    inseparable    from    sucli   a    journev       He 
was  about  twenty-eight  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  had 
he  hyed   to  cultivate   more  congenial   pursuits  at  home 
would  certainly  have  attained  increased  distinction  as  a 
naturalist.     His  taste  for   natural   science   was  great    his 
attainments    considerable,   and   his   work    even   in    vouth 
valuable."    His  name  is  also  commemorated  in  aii  oak 
Quercus  Gambelii,  discovered  by  him  in  1S44. 

GRACE  ANNA  LEWIS. 

Grace  Anna  Lewis  *  was  born  on  a  farm  belongincr  to 
her  parents,  John  and  Esther  Lewis,  of  A\'est  Vincent-Town- 
ship  near  Kimberton,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  the 
od  of  August,  1S2L  Both  parents  were  descended  from 
the  Quakers.  Her  fether  was  the  fifth  in  descent  from 
Henry  Lewis,  of  Narberth,  Pembrokeshire,  A\'ales.  ,vho  came 
tojhe^intry  about  the  beginning  of  1082.     Her  father 

*1S93.    •■  A  Woma„.,i-,l,e  Century.-    Willard  .lud  Livermore. 


234  THE   BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

died,  leaving  a  wife  and  four  daughters.  Grace  Anna  was 
then  not  three  years  old.  Before  her  marriage  the  mother 
had  been  a  successful  teacher,  at  first  of  her  own  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  later  of  large  and  flourishing  schools.  She 
was  eminently  fitted  for  the  task  of  educating  her  children. 
After  twenty-four  years  of  widowhood  she  died,  leaving  her 
oldest  and  youngest  daughters  with  Grace  Anna,  in  the 
home  known  as  "  Sunnyside."  Grace  Anna  studied  for  the 
love  of  it  in  prosperity,  and  it  became  her  consolation  in 
sorrow. 

She  first  studied  botany,  as  a  school-girl,  under  Abigail 
Kimber,  of  Kimberton,  Pennsylvania,  a  friend  and  corres- 
pondent of  William  Darlington,  and  her  name,  in  acknowl- 
edgment of  plants  found  in  her  neighborhood,  occurs  in  the 
"  Flora  Cestrica."  Miss  Lewis  began  teaching  botany  in 
1840.  In  the  field  of  general  natural  history  her  most 
important  work  has  been  the  preparation  of  a  "  Chart  of  the 
Class  of  Birds;"  a  "Chart  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom;"  a 
"  Chart  of  the  Eaces  of  Men  ;  "  a  "  Chart  of  Geology,  with 
Special  References  to  Paleontology  ;  "  "  Microscopic  Studies, 
including  Frost  Crystals  and  the  Plumage  of  Birds,  as  well 
as  the  Lower  Forms  of  Animal  and  Vegetable  Life ; '' 
"  Studies  in  Forestry  with  original  Paintings  of  Forest 
Leaves ; "  "  Water  Color  Paintings  of  Wild  Flowers,"  and 
illustrations  for  lectures  on  plants  and  animals.  In  1869 
she  printed  a  small  pamphlet  showing  the  relation  of  birds 
in  the  animal  kingdom.  That  pamphlet  was  the  result  of 
long  studies,  both  in  her  home  and  on  the  old  farm,  and 
with  the  benefit  of  the  library  and  collection  of  the  Aca- 
demy of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  under  the  direction 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADP:LriIIA.  '2oO 

of  John  Cassin,  one  of  the  leading  ornithologists  of  the 
world.  It  was  the  germ  of  her  later  and  improved  charts. 
In  1876  she  exhibited  in  the  Centennial  Exposition  a  wax 
model  along  with  her  Chart  of  the  Animal  Kingdom.  Here 
Professor  Huxley  and  other  prominent  naturalists  found 
opportunity  of  examining  her  productions,  and  they  were 
highly  commended.  Fortified  by  the  encouragement  of  the 
best  zoologists  of  England  and  America,  her  confidence  was 
now  assured,  and  she  was  ready  to  apply  the  same  prin- 
ciples to  the  construction  of  a  "  Chart  of  the  Vegetable 
Kingdom,"  which  was  completed  in  1885.  In  1870  Miss 
Lewis  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  She  is  at  present  honorary 
member  of  the  Rochester  Academy  of  Sciences,  Rochester, 
New  York ;  of  the  Philosophical  Society  of  West  Chester, 
Chester  County,  Pennsylvania ;  of  the  New  Century  Club  of 
Philadelphia ;  of  the  Women's  iVnthropological  Society  of 
America,  Washington,  District  of  Columbia;  and  recently  has 
been  elected  a  life  member  of  the  Delaware  County  Institute 
of  Science,  in  Media,  where  she  now  resides.  Miss  Lewis 
continues  to  lead  a  busy  life,  and  as  Secretary  of  the 
Delaware  County  Forestry  Association  does  much  cjuiet 
work  for  the  cause  of  forestry.  Under  her  supervision 
there  is  now  being  issued  a  series  of  Tree  Charts,  for  use 
of  public  schools.  The  following  have  been  so  far  printed 
and  issued  : 

Part  I. — "  The  Oaks,"  forty-two  pieces. 

No.  1. — "  Biennial  Fruited  Oaks,  Black  Oak  and  Allies." 
No.  2. — "Annual  Fruited  Oaks,  White  Oak  and  Allies." 
No.  3. — ''Southern,  Pacific,  Hardy,  Foreign,  and  examples  of 
extinct  Oaks." 


236  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Part  II. — "  The  Nut-Bearers."     Numerous  species. 

No.  4. — "The  Chestnuts  aud  Beeches." — American,  Japanese 
and  European  Chestnuts. 

No.  5. — "The  Walnuts." — American,  Japanese  and  European 
species  and  varieties. 

No.  6. — "  The  Hickories." — American  species  and  varieties. 
Parts  III  and  IV,  which  are  to  follow  in  due  order,  ^Ndll  consist  of 
species  chosen  from  the  most  useful  or  ornamental  of  our  other  timber  and 
shade  trees. 

THOMAS  CONRAD  PORTER. 

Dr.  Porter  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  County, 
Pennsylvania,  January  22,  1822.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent  on  his  father's  side,  and  of  pure  German  on  that  of 
his  mother.  After  two  years'  preparation  in  the  Harrisburg 
Academy,  he  entered  Lafayette  College  in  1836,  receiving 
his  first  degree  in  1840.  Passing  through  the  full  course  of 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon,  in  May,  1844.  For  one 
year  from  April,  1846,  he  served  a  mission  church  in 
Central  Georgia.  In  May,  1848,  he  took  charge  of  the 
Second  Reformed  Church  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  then 
just  organized,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  as  its  pastor. 
In  May,  1849,  he  resigned,  to  become  Professor  of  the 
Natural  Sciences  in  Marshall  College,  Mercersburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, then  under  the  presidency  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W. 
Nevin.  On  its  removal  and  consolidation  with  Franklin 
College,  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  1853,  he  was  elected 
to  the  same  chair,  and  became  a  member,  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  Chairman  of  the  Building 
Committee.  These  positions  were  given  up  July,  1866,  in 
order  to  accept  from  his  Alma  Mater  the  chair  which  he 
has  now  occupied  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.     During  this 


TirOMAS   C.    PORTER. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OP    rilir.ADEr.PHI A.  237 

period,  in  connection   with  his  college  work,  he  served  as 
Pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Church  of  Easton  for  seven 
years,  from  1877  to  18S4.     In  1865  the  degree  of  D  D  w,s 
conferred  upon  him  by  Rutgers'  College,  and  that  of  LL  D 
by  Frankhn  and  Marshall  in  1880.     Outside  the  sphere  of 
his  official  duties,  Dr.  Porter  has  delivered  a  great  many 
sermons,    lectures     and    addresses    on     public    occasions 
Among  his   printed  works   are:  "The   Life  and  Times  of 
Ulric  Zwmgli,"  from  the  German  of  Hottinger;  "The  Life 
and  Labors  of  St.  Augustine,"  from  the  German  of   Dr 
Phihp  Sohaff,and  a  version   of  Gcethe's  "Hermann  and 
Dorothea,"   in  prose.     His  many  translations  of  Horace's 
odes  and   the   translation  of  the  "  Dies  Ii-fe,"   rank  high 
The  Merce^-sburg  Review  is  indebted  to  him  for  a  number  of 
valuable  articles  on  literary  and  theological  subjects     He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  committee  which  framed  the 
Order  of  Worship,  now  used  by  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States,  and  at  the  celebration  of  the  300th  anniver- 
sary of  the  Heidelberg  Cathecism  in  Philadelphia,  .January 
1863,  read  an  original  memoir  of  its  authors  and  a  trans- 
lation of  the  essay  on  the  University  of  Heidelberg,  by  Dr 
Hundeshagen,  both  of  which  are  published  in  the  Tercen- 
tenary Monument.    To  Dr.  Schaff's  "  Christ  in  Song,"  he  con- 
tributed several    hymns  and   lyric  poems,  from  the  Latin 
and  the  German,  and  not  a  few  of  like  character  to   The 
Lafayette  and  its  predecessors.     In  the  preface  to  his  poeti- 
cal version  of  the  "Kalevala,"  Dr.  J.  M.  Crawford  makes 
special  acknowledgment  of  his  great  obligations  to  his  old 
professor  for  advice  and  assistance. 

In  the  scientific  world,  as  is  well  known.  Dr.  Porter  has 
achieved  high  distinction,  and  that  chiefly  in   the  domain 


238  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  Ijotany.  One  of  the  founders  and  the  first  President  of 
the  Linn^ean  Society  of  Lancaster  County,  for  thirteen 
years  he  explored  its  territory,  going  over  the  ground  where 
Muhlenberg  had  ranged  before  him,  and,  in  1869,  pub- 
lished a  catalogue  of  its  flora.  On  coming  to  Easton,  in 
1866,  he  organized  a  natural  history  society  in  the  College, 
for  local  work,  which  continued  in  active  operation  up  to  the 
burning  of  Pardee  Hall  in  1877,  and  during  this  time  large 
collections  were  made  of  rocks,  animals  and  plants,  and  a 
considerable  library  formed.  His  own  herbarium,  already 
extensive,  became  the  property  of  the  College,  and,  since 
then,  has  been  greatly  enlarged  by  his  untiring  labors, 
until  it  ranks  among  the  first  in  the  land.  It  contains 
specimens  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  but  is  especially 
rich  in  plants  of  the  United  States,  both  east  and 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  well  represents  the  growth  of 
our  knowledge  in  this  field  for  the  last  half  a  century.  It 
comprises  a  flora  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  which  is,  by 
far,  the  fullest  and  best  in  existence.  This  most  valuable 
herbarium  was,  with  the  exception  of  the  fine  one  of  Penn- 
sylvania plants,  consumed  by  fire  on  December  18,  1897, 
which  occurred  by  the  act  of  an  incendiary  in  Pardee  Hall, 
where  the  collections  were  stored.  The  mineralogical  col- 
lection and  many  valuable  books  and  apparatus  were  also 
destroyed.  The  collections  made  by  Dr.  Hayden  in  the 
Pocky  Mountains  from  the  year  1870  to  1874  passed 
through  his  hands,  and  his  reports  upon  them  are  to  be 
found  in  the  publications  of  the  survey  hx  the  government. 
Of  these,  the  most  important,  "  A  Synopsis  of  the  Flora  of 
Colorado,"  prepared  conjointly  with  President  Coulter,  of 
Wabash  College,  was  issued  in  a  separate  volume  in  1874. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  239 

To  Walling  &  Gray's  "Topographical  Atlas  of  Pennsylvania" 
(Philadelphia,  1872),  he  furnished  a  "Sketch  of  the  Flora 
of  Pennsylvania,"  with  a  colored  map,  and  to  Gray's  "  Atlas 
of  the  United  States,"  1873,  a  "  Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  the 
United  States,"  also  with  a  colored  map.  In  addition  to 
these  he  has  contributed  from  time  to  time  many  valuable 
articles  to  the  botanical  journals,  and  is  in  constant  corres- 
pondence with  leading  naturalists  at  home  and  abroad.  He 
is  an  honorary  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  and  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia  ; 
of  the  Davenport  Academy,  Iowa ;  an  active  member  of 
the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  New  York,  and  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 

Founders'  Day  at  Lafayette  College  (October  20,  1897) 
was  observed  by  paying  tribute  to  the  services  rendered  by 
Professor  Porter  to  the  cause  of  science,  of  religion  and  of 
literature.  Professor  William  B.  Scott,  of  Princeton,  spoke 
on  Dr.  Porter's  contribution  to  geological  science  ;  Dr.  John 
M.  Crawford,  of  Cincinnatti,  spoke  of  Dr.  Porter  as  a 
pioneer  in  Finnish  Literature.  Dr.  N.  L.  Britton,  Director 
of  the  New  York  Botanical  Gardens,  referred  to  Dr.  Porter 
in  his  address  on  "  The  Progress  of  Systematic  Botan}^  in 
North  America,"  in  these  words :  "  During  the  last  half  of 
the  century  Professor  Porter  has  contributed  information 
and  material  of  great  value  to  practically  all  the  mono- 
graphers of  groups  or  of  floras  during  that  period  ;  his  col- 
lecting and  critical  observations  began  shortly  after  his 
graduation  from  Lafayette  College  in  1840,  and  have  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly  for  nearly  fifty  years.  Always 
ready  and  anxious  to  aid,  he  has  supplied  to  other  authors 
for  more  information   than  he  has  personally  published,  so 


240  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

that  the  list  of  his  printed  jDapers,  numbering  fifty-three 
titles,  is  but  an  imperfect  record  of  his  contributions  to 
botanical  science." 

Dr.  Porter  is  a  gentleman  of  tine  aesthetic  sense,  indulges 
himself  in  a  wide  range  of  belles-lettres  studies  and  is  espe- 
cially familiar  with  the  j)oetic  literature  of  several  modern 
languages,  as  well  as  of  the  classic  Latin  and  Greek.  His 
love  of  the  beautiful  might  have  been  inferred  from  his 
enthusiastic  pursuit  of  botanical  study,  and  indeed,  the 
same  taste  and  ardor  have  made  him  acquainted  with  all 
elegant  learning. 

He  is  a  man  of  kind  heart,  and,  in  the  presence  of 
one  or  more  of  "  the  boys,"  always  full  of  interesting  con- 
versation. Here  his  wonderful  memory  shows  itself  to  be  a 
storehouse  not  only  of  scientific  facts,  but  also  of  numberless 
reminiscences,  amusing  and  otherwise,  of  his  early  life  and 
the  lives  of  the  great  men  with  whom  he  is  acquainted. 

He  is  a  theologian  familiar  with  all  the  departments  of 
theology,  a  thorough  biblical  scholar,  and  has  the  art  of 
wise  exposition,  and  of  direct,  practical,  pungent  preaching. 
Happy  in  the  tones  of  his  voice,  he  combines  in  his  delivery 
the  persuasive  with  the  demonstrative  in  good  proportions 
and  always  holds  attention. 

His  wonderful  enthusiasm  over  his  subject  was  the 
strength  of  his  teaching.  Yet  he  was  hindered  in  his 
department  by  the  want  of  assistance.  Dr.  March,  in  his 
recent  address  on  "  The  Needs  of  Lafayette,"  said :  "  He  has 
carried  on  all  these  departments  with  energy  and  with 
honor  during  many  years  of  happy  growth,  and  now  they 
have  outgrown  the  possibilities  of  a  single  man.  The 
thronging  classes  in  the  lecture  room,  the  frequent  classes 


TJI1-:    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKLl'lIIA.  241 

to  be  taken  on  field  excursions,  the  great  herbarium  and 
other  collections,  require  more  than  twenty-four  hours  a 
day.  Dr.  Porter's  aid  is  also  sought  constantly  in  preparing 
publications  of  permanent  importance.  Our  comrade  of 
Torrey,  Gray,  Leidy,  Schatf,  has  stores  of  truth  and  wisdom 
which  mankind  would  not  willingly  let  die.  He  ought  to 
publish  freely.  He  needs  an  assistant,  or  an  associate  to 
divide  the  held." 

Dr.  Porter,  although  now  seventy-seven  years  old,  is 
still  hale  and  active.  May  he  long  be  spared  to  the  college 
whose  interests  he  has  so  much  at  heart. 

1.  "List  of  Plants  collected  Ijy  ^Nlr.  Thaddeus  A.  Culbertson  on  an 
Expedition  to  the  ^Nlauvaises  Terres  and  Upper  Missouri,  in  1850." — Fifth 
Annual  Report  Smithsonian  Institution,  1850. 

2.  "Catalogue  of  Plants  collected  during  the  Expedition  of  F.  V. 
HaA^den  to  the  Headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone  Eiver,  in  the  Summer 
of  1871." — United  States  Geolofjieal  and  Geographical  Survey  of  ^lontana  and 
Adjacent  Territories.     Washington,  1871,  pp.  477-498. 

3.  "Catalogue  of  Plants  collected  in  Wyoming  and  Colorado,  hy 
F.  V.  Haydeu  and  B.  H.  Smith." — United  States  Geological  Survey,  Wash- 
ington, 1872. 

4.  "Synopsis  of  the  Flora  of  Colorado  (in  conjunction  with  J.  M. 
Coulter)." — United  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Survey,  Miscellaneous 
Public.,  No.  4,  pp.  180,  pamphlet,  Washington,  1874. 

5.  "  Orders  Pol emoniacea},  Borraginaceai,  Scrophulariacea^  Labiatte 
and  Polygonacea3  in  Botany  of  Wheeler  Survey." — By  J.  T.  Rothrock 
Vol.  6.    Washington,  1878. 

6.  "  Enumeration  of  the  Indigenous  and  Naturalized  Plants  of  Lan- 
caster County,  Pennsylvania." — MomherVs  Authentic  History,  Lancaster,  1869. 

7.  "Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  Pennsylvania."  Walling  and  Gray's 
Topographical  Atlas,  Philadelphia,  1872. 

8.  "Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  the  United  States."— (?rr^y'^■  Atlas, 
Philadelphia,  1873. 

9.  "A  List  of  the  Carices  of  Pennsylvania." — Proceedings  Acttdcmy 
Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1887. 


242  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

10.  "A  List  of  the  Grasses  of  Pennsylvania." — Bidletin  Tonrj/  CJuh, 
XX,  pp.  193-207.  These  grasses,  mounted  on  cardboard,  were  on  exhibition 
at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago. 

11.  "Contributions  to  the  Species  of  Juncus  growing  around  Lan- 
cavSter,  Pennsylvania,  one  hundred  specimens  of  each  to  Dr.  Engelmann's 
Herbarium  Juncorum  Boreali  Americanorum  Normale,"  issued  from  St. 
Louis,  November,  1868. 

12.  "  Contributions  to  the  Catalogue  of  Plants  found  in  New  Jersey," 
by  N.  L.  Britton. — Final  Report  of  the  State  Geologist,  vol.  2,  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  1889. 

13.  "Contributions  to  the  Botanical  Check  List,"  published  in  3Iemoirs 
of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  Yol.  5,  December,  1893,  to  December,  1894. 

14.  "On  the  Fedias  of  the  eastern  United  States." — American  Natu- 
ralist, VI,  p.  386. 

15.  "On  Stachys  cordata,  B.\Me\\.^^— Botanical  Gazette,  I  :  25,  May, 
1876. 

16.  "On  a  new  Plum.  Prunus  Allegheniensis,  Porter." — Botanical 
Gazette,  II  :  85,  March,  1877. 

17.  "  On  Variations  of  Podophyllum  peltatum  L. " — Botanical  Gazette, 
II  :  117,  July,  1877. 

18.  "Review  of  the  Sixth  Edition  of  Gray's  Manual  (revised  by 
Watson  and  CoxAtev).''— Bulletin  Torrey  Club,  XVII,  pp.  67-73. 

19.  "Solidago  humilis  and  its  eastern  Allies. " — Bulletin  Torrey  Club 
(with  plates),  XX  :  207.     (1893.) 

20.  "Vitality  of  the  Seeds  of  Datura  Tatula.''— Botanical  Gazette, 
III-IV  :  49. 

21.  '' The  Yellow  ^no\y.''— Botanical  Gazette,  III-IV  :  154. 

22.  "  Viola  tricolor  var.  arvensis." — Botanical  Gazette,  V-VI  :  13. 

23.  "  Habenaria  Garberi  n.  six^^— Botanical  Gazette,  V-VI  :  135. 

24.  "Audibertia  Vaseyi  n.  si^''— Botanical  Gazette,  V-VI  :  207. 

25.  "Astragalus  mollissimus. " — Botanical  Gazette,  VII-VIII  :  76. 

26.  "J.  R.  Lowrie.''— Botanical  Gazette,  XI  :  64. 

27.  '' Tv:o  new  Florida  Tlants.'^— Botanical  Gazette,  XIII  :  8.    (?) 

28.  "Additions  to  our  Native  Flora."— Torre?/  Bulletin,  XVI  :  24. 

29.  ''  Gentiaua  alha.''— Torrey  Bulletin,  XVI  :  53. 

30.  "Aster  cordifolius  and  two  new  Varieties."— 2(9>'re^  Bulletin, 
XVI  :  67. 

31.  "Notes  on   Two  Rhododendrons."— Torrf^   Bulletin,    XVI:   220. 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  243 

32.  ''Notes    on    Harfordia,    Greene    and     Parry." — Torrey    Bulletin, 

XVI  :  277. 

33.  "New     Varieties     of     well-known     Species."  —  Torrey    Bulletin, 

XVII  :  15. 

34.  "A  new  North  American  Aster,  Aster  Torreyi. " — Torrey  Bulletin, 

XVII  :  37. 

35.  "A  new  Fern  for  North  America."— To/vr^  Bulletin,  XVII  :  215. 

36.  "A  Botanical  Trip  into  Northern  New  Jersey." — Torrey  Bulletin, 
XI  :  90. 

37.  "  Notes  from  Pennsylvania." — Torrey  Bulletin,  XVIII  :  85. 

38.  "A  new  Liatris  from  North  Carolina."  —  Torrey  Bulletin, 
XVIII,  147. 

39.  "  Iiespedeza  striata  (Thunb. )  Hook  and  Am." — Torrey  Bulletin, 

XVIII  :  306. 

40.  "Ballast  Plants  at  South  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania." — Torrey 
Bulletin,  XIX  :  9. 

41.  "Some    Additions    to    our    eastern     Flora."  —  Torrey    Bulletin, 

XIX  :  128. 

42.  "Aster  leiophyllus,  n.  six''— Torrey  Bulletin,  XX  :  254. 

43.  "Notes  on  Plants  of  our  eastern  Flora."  —  Torrey  Bulletin, 
XXI  :  120. 

44.  "Scutellaria  resinosa." — Torrey  Bulletin,  XXI  :  177. 

45.  "  Prunus  Allegheniensis. " — Garden  and  Forest,  III  :  428. 

46.  "The  Table  Mountain  Pine  (Pinus  puugeus)." — Garden  and 
Forest,  VI  :  204. 

47.  "  Magnolia  glauca. " — Garden  and  Forest,  VII  :  398. 

JOSEPH  WALTON. 

Joseph  Walton  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1823,  and 
in  the  thirteenth  year  of  his  age  was  sent  to  AVesttown 
Boarding-school  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania.  Here 
he  imbibed  some  of  the  fondness  for  botany,  which  charac- 
terized the  intellectual  atmosphere  of  the  institution.  The 
school  was  located  on  a  tract  of  600  acres,  a  part  of  which 
was  traversed  by  the  east  branch  of  Chester  Creek.  A  large 
part  was  covered  with  woodland,  and  there  was  much 
diversity  in  the  surface  features — hill  and  valley,  swamp 


244  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

and  upland  alternating,  and  furnishing  a  large  variety  of 
plants.  Among  these  were  several  of  the  orchidaceous 
plants,  such  as  Orchis  spectahilis,  Habenaria  gr.andiflora, 
Cypripedium  pubescens,  etc. ;  of  these,  the  Habenaria  grand i- 
flora  is  no  longer  an  inhabitant  of  the  farm,  the  springy 
swamp  in  which  it  grew  having  been  drained  and 
brought  into  cultivation.  As  an  illustration  of  the  num- 
ber of  species  which  grew  on  the  Westtown  farm,  he  once 
collected  a  herbarium  of  such  flowering  plants  as  were 
found  on  that  area,  including  ferns,  and  it  numbered  600 
species,  although  his  knowledge  of  grasses,  Cyperacese, 
was  quite  imperfect.  Within  easy  reach  of  the  school  were 
outcrops  of  serpentine,  and  the  belt  of  hydro-mica  schists  to 
the  south  of  the  great  limestone  valleys,  which  added  con- 
siderably to  the  botanical  riches  of  that  section  of  country. 

In  those  days  Joseph  Walton  was  far  more  of  a  collector 
than  a  student,  but  he  believes  no  one  can  euthusiastically 
collect  objects  of  any  kind,  without  accpiiring  at  the  same 
time  a  considerable  amount  of  knowledge  respecting  them. 

After  leaving  Westtown,  he  entered  Haverford  School 
(now  College).  During  his  three  years'  residence  there,  he 
contracted  an  intimate  friendship  with  Edward  Tatnall,  of 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  whose  tastes  were  similar  to  his 
ow^n,  and  together  they  scoured  the  adjacent  territory  in 
pursuit  of  specimens. 

On  leaving  Haverford  in  the  fall  of  1836,  he  was 
employed  at  Westtown  as  one  of  the  teachers,  and  con- 
tinued there  for  ten  years.  During  this  period  his  botanical 
studies  were  still  continued.  He  left-  Westtown  in  1846, 
and  after  about  one  year's  interval,  entered  into  business  in 
Philadelphia.  Very  little  botanical  progress  was  made  at 
this  time,  except  as  he  occasionally  met  "with  some  inter- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  245 

esting  botanical  novelty,  as  Avlien  in  visiting  Trenton 
Falls,  New  York,  he  wandered  into  a  swampy  piece  of 
woodland  and  came  upon  a  patch  of  perhaps  100  plants 
of  the  beautiful  Cypripedium  spedahile  in  full  Ijlooin.  The 
sight  awakened  a  strong  feeling  of  enthusiasm. 

After  removing  to  New  Jersey  and  retiring  from 
active  business,  Joseph  Walton  came  within  reach  of  the 
pine  barrens,  where  many  new  forms  of  vegetable  life 
re-kiudled  some  of  his  youthful  interest,  and  he  again  began 
to  collect  material  for  an  herbarium,  but  these  latter  collec- 
tions have  been  given  to  a  reading-room  in  the  village 
where  he  lives. 

His  principal  botanical  work,  if  such  it  may  be  called, 
has  been  the  preparation  of  a  numl:)er  of  natural  history 
articles,  mostly  descriptive  of  excursions  after  flowers,  and 
notices  of  the  plants  collected.  These  have  been  published 
from  time  to  time  in  The  Friend,  a  weekly  periodical, 
published  in  Philadelphia. 

GEORGE  W.   FAHNESTOCK, 

George  W.  Fahnestock,  a  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences  and  the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural 
Society,  was  a  botanist  of  local  repute.  A  paper  of  his, 
entitled  "  Memoranda  of  the  Effects  of  Carburetted  Hydro- 
gen Gas  on  a  Collection  of  Exotic  Plants,"  i)ublished  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  for  May,  1858, 
is  of  merit  as  recording  his  observations  on  the  comparative 
injury  done  to  greenhouse  plants  exposed  to  the  gas  during 
the  winter  of  1857,  when  the  earth  was  frozen  to  an  unusual 
depth,  three  feet  or  more.  The  plants  are  arranged  serially 
in  the  paper  according  to  Lindle^^'s  system,  and  the  effect 
noted. 


246  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

JOSIAH  GREGG. 

Practically  nothing  is  known  of  the  early  life  of  Josiah 
Gregg.*  A  broken  down  constitution  first  made  him  a 
traveler  on  the  prairies,  which  he  afterwards  crossed  several 
times  as  a  trader  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Thomas  G.  Rockhill, 
a  Philadelphia  merchant.  He  contributed  a  series  of  letters 
on  the  history  and  condition  of  the  Santa  Fe  trade  to  the 
Galveston  Advertiser  (1841  and  1842),  and  the  Arkansas 
Intelligencer;  "The  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,"  a  journal 
of  a  Santa  Fe  trader  during  eight  journeys  across  the  great 
western  prairies,  and  a  residence  of  nearly  nine  years  in 
New  Mexico,  was  written  in  1844.  During  a  residence  in 
New"  Mexico,  Gregg  devoted  some  attention  to  botany  and 
discovered  several  new  plants.  Greggia,  a  genus  of  cruci- 
ferous herbs  of  western  Texas  and  northern  Mexico,  was 
dedicated  to  him  by  Asa  Gray,  as  also  Fraxinus  Greggii. 
In  1840  Gregg  acted  as  guide  to  General  Wool's  division  to 
Chihuahua,  and  later  he  went  to  Saltillo  with  General 
Butler.     He  is  supposed  to  have  died  in  California,  in  1850. 

GAVIN  WATSON. 

Gavin  Watson,  M.  D.,  was  a  Scotchman  and  active 
practitioner  in  the  upper  part  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 
He  devoted  himself  actively  to  the  collecting  of  plants 
in  surrounding  country.  He  was  held  with  disfavor  by 
contemporary  local  botanists,  because  he,  with  great  dis- 
regard to  the  botanists'  code  of  honor,  destroyed  the 
localities  of  several  rare  plants  by  digging   them    up  for 


=  Sargent.    Silva  of  North  America,  VI  :  33. 
Proceedinys  American  Academy,  XII  :  63  (1876). 
Garden  and  Forest,  VII  :  12. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  247 

sale  and  for  herbarium  exclianges.  He  was  Secretary  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society  and  a  member  of 
the   Academy   of    Natural   Sciences.     He   died   November 


H.   DETWILER. 

H.  Detwiler,  M.  D.,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  now 
deceased,  collected  largely  years  ago  around  Hellertown, 
and  sent  his  plants  to  Europe.  Some  of  his  plants  are 
found  in  the  great  Meissner  Herbarium  of  Columljia 
College. 

EDWIN  FU5SELL. 

Edwin  Fussell,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Chester  County, 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  friend  of  Joshua  Hoopes.  He 
was  an  enthusiastic  botanist,  influencing  the  younger 
generation.     He  died  in  Media  in  1880. 

GEORGE  MARTIN. 

Dr.  George  Martin  t  was  born  near  Claymont,  Delaware 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1826,  and  received  his  early  edu- 
cation at  the  Westtown  Friends'  School,  after  which  he 
became  a  student  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  graduated  in  medicine  about  1847.  He  first  practiced 
his  profession  at  Concordville,  Delaware  County,  where  he 
remained  about  three  years.  Owing  to  delicate  health  he 
next  became  connected  with  the  Fifth  Street  Dispensary, 
in  which  he  remained  some  five  years,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  time  he  engaged  with  his  cousin,  John  M.  Sharpless, 
in  the  latter's  chrome  works  in  the  City  of  Chester.     During 

*  The  Gardener's  Monthly  (Meehan),  I,  p.  11. 

t  Journal  of  Mycology,  II:  137.     Signed  J.  B.  E.  (J.  B.  Ellis). 


248  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

the  war  he  was  connected  with  soldiers'  hospitals  in  Chester, 
in  which  he  rendered  efficient  and  untiring  services.  In 
1S66  he  went  to  West  Chester,  where  he  continued  to  live 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  During  the  last  eight  or  ten 
years  of  his  life  his  health  was  such  as  to  lead  him  and  his 
wife  to  pass  the  winter  season  in  Florida.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  at  his  home  in  West  Chester, 
October  28,  1886,  he  was  one  of  the  managers  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Training  School  at  Media,  and  a  member 
of  the  Chester  County  Medical.  Society  and  of  the  College 
of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia.  Beginning  with  1878,  Dr. 
Martin  devoted  much  time  to  mycological  studies,  especially 
to  the  examination  of  the  parasitic  leaf  fungi,  and  only  a 
few  days  before  his  death  had  completed  a  "Synopsis  of 
the  North  American  Species  of  Septoria,''  as  a  continuation 
of  the  series  of  mycological  papers  he  had  already  con- 
tributed. 

In  his  demise  the  medical  profession  loses  one  of  its 
shining  lights.  In  scientific  pursuits  he  was  also  a  close 
and  earnest  student,  as  well  as  a  botanist  of  such  note  as  to 
lead  him  into  close  association  with  the  leading  botanists  of 
the  day.  Dr.  Martin  was  a  genial  and  good  citizen.  Plain 
and  retiring  in  his  manners,  he  was  beloved  by  all  and 
honored  at  home  and  abroad. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  New  Florida  Fungi." — Journal  of  3Iyco1o(/i/,  I  :  97. 

2.  "Synopsis  of  the  North  American  Species  of  Asterina,  Dimeros- 
porium  and  Meliola." — Journal  of  3Tycology,  I  :  133,  145. 

3.  "  New  Fungi." — Journal  of  Mycology.  II  :  128. 

4.  "The  Phyllostictas  of  North   America." —  Journal   of  Mycology, 
II  :  13,  25. 

5.  ' '  Enumeration  and  Description  of  the  Septorias  of  North  Ameri- 
ca."—Jo»r«(T7  of  3Iycology,  III  :  37,  49,  73,  84. 


GEOKGE  ISFAKTIN. 


THK    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  "24*. > 

THOMAS  MEEHAN. 

Thomas  Meelian  was  bom  March  2(3,  182(),  at  Potter's 
Bar,  near  Barnet  (Hertford,  Middlesex),  Enghmd,  not  far 
from  London.  His  father,  Edward,  was  one  of  the  most 
skillful  private  gardeners  of  England.  His  mother,  Sarah 
Daneham,  came  of  one  of  the  oldest  vSaxon  farming  families. 
The  family  was  in  the  deepest  poverty  at  the  time  of  the 
birth  of  Thomas,  who  was  instructed  by  his  mother  until 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  was  put  to  work  with 
a  gardener.  He  inherited  his  love  for  plants  from  his 
father,  and  being  deaf  from  birth,  he  never  mingled  with 
other  boys,  but  spent  his  time  in  the  fields  as  an  amateur 
naturalist.  Some  of  his  early  observations  were  remarkaljle, 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  well-known  men,  who 
befriended  him.  His  first  article  was  published  when  he 
was  thirteen  years  years  of  age,  and  about  the  same  time 
he  succeeded  in  hybridizing  the  Fuchsia,  for  the  first  time 
producing  a  race  which  he  named  St.  Claii*.  When  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  made  and  published  his  first  scientific  dis- 
covery on  the  lines  which  afterward  made  him  famous — 
"  Irritable  Stamens  in  the  Flowers  of  Portulaca  grandiflora  " 
— then  a  new  introduction  from  Mexico.  He  attracted  the 
attention,  through  his  diligence  in  the  pursuit  of  botany,  of 
such  men  as  Dr.  Broomfield,  Dr.  Thomas  Belsatter,  Pro- 
fessor C.  C.  Babbington,  and  others.  His  spare  time,  while 
watching  by  night  the  stoke-holes  of  the  greenhouses,  was 
spent  in  study.  At  seventeen  he  became  head-gardener 'to 
a  Mr.  Vaux,  and  in  1S45,  leaving  his  position,  he  entered 
the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  where  he  became  acquainted 
with  Robinson  Scott.  He  fell  under  suspicion  as  belong- 
ino-  to  the   Chartists,  and    thus   formed   the  ill-will   of  Sir 


250  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

William  Hooker,  Director  of  the  Gardens,  who  subjected 
him  to  petty  annoyances.  Mr.  Meehan  refused  to  leave  the 
gardens  unless  he  received  a  certificate.  Having  obtained  it 
the  follo^ying  year,  he  came  to  the  United  States  (March 
1,  1S4S),  sailing  on  a  vessel  named  "  The  Devonshire."  He 
reached  America  on  March  21st,  on  his  twenty-second 
birthday,  with  twenty-five  dollars  in  his  pocket,  traveling 
to  Philadelphia  by  canal  boat.  He  secured  a  position  at 
the  nurseries  of  Robert  Buist  on  Darby  Road,  where  he 
remained  for  one  year,  afterwards  working  for  Andrew 
Eastwick,  under  whose  supervision  he  laid  out  and  restored 
Bartram's  Garden.  Leaving  the  employ  of  Eastwick,  he 
worked  for  Caleb  Cope,  at  Holmesburg,  where  he  remained 
until  1853.  In  1852  he  married  Catherine  Colflesh,  and 
after  the  birth  of  a  son,  started  a  nursery  business  of  his 
own  at  xlmbler,  with  a  branch  nursery  at  Germantown, 
with  William  Saunders  as  partner.  During  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  Mr.  Meehan  lost  nearly  everything  ;  subsequently 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  a  certain  Wandell,  under 
the  business  name  of  Meehan  &  Wandell.  This  partner- 
ship was  eventually  dissolved,  Mr.  Meehan  taking  the 
entire  responsibility  of  the  business,  which  grew  rapidly, 
until  seventy-five  acres  were  cultivated  at  Germantown. 

In  March,  1860,  he  was  elected  a  memljer  of  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  in  Avhich  body  he  has  taken 
an  active  interest  ever  since.  He  was  elected  Vice-President 
after  a  hot  fight.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  various  learned  societies,  notably 
among  which  may  be  mentioned :  The  American  Phil- 
osophical Society,  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  the 
Pennsylvania    Horticultural    Society,    and    other  scientific 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rHILADELPIIIA.  251 

societies,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Mr.  Meehan  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Wernerian  Society  in  1.S44. 
He  has  been  for  many  years  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society,  and  an  lionorary  mem- 
ber of  most  of  the  leading  Horticultural  Societies  of  America 
and  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  London.  For 
several  successive  years  Professor  jMeehan  was  elected 
annually  to  the  Board  of  Visitors  of  Harvard  University. 
When  the  Philadelphia  Economic  Museum  was  originated 
in  1894,  he  became  one  of  the  Trustees.  When  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture  was  formed  Mr.  Meehan  became  the 
State  Botanist,  a  position  wdiich  he  still  retains. 

About  1853  Mr.  Brinklaw  started  The  Gardener's 
Monthly,  Mr.  Meehan  assuming  the  editorship  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Charles  Marot  (circa  1881).  He  also  was  for  a 
time  Editor  of  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Press,  under  the  management  of  John  W.  Forney. 
Mr.  Meehan  also  became  Horticultural  and  Agricultural 
Editor  of  a  number  of  American  journals,  at  one  time  con- 
tributing to  no  less  than  six,  viz. :  Maryland  Farmer,  New 
York  Independent,  Neiv  York  Tribune,  and  Public  Ledger. 
While  at  Bartram's  Garden  he  published  a  book :  "  Hand- 
book of  Ornamental  Trees,""^  which  was  well  received.  Mr. 
Meehan  was  the  author  of  the  descriptions  which  appeared 
with  the  lithographic-colored  plates  of  plants,  issued  by 
Prang,  of  Boston,  as  ''  The  Flowers  and  Ferns  of  the 
United  States,"  f  which  were  published  until  the  death  of 

*  The  American  Hand-book  of  Ornamental  Trees.  By  Thomas  Meehan, 
gardener.    Philadelphia:  Lippiucott,  Grambo  &  Co..  1853,  octavo,  pp.xv,  257. 

t  The  Native  Floivers  and  Ferns  of  the  United  States,  in  their  Botanical, 
Horticultural  and  Popular  Aspects.  By  Thomas  Meehan.  Illustrated  by  chromo- 
lithographs. Boston:  L.  Prang  ct  Co.,Svo.  I  (1878),  11(1879).  Series  2.  1(1880), 
American  Natural  History  Publishing  Co.,  Limited,  I'hiludelphia.  II  (,1880),  ("Charles 
Robson  ifcCo.,  Philadelphia. 


252  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Mr.  Robson,  when  their  issuance  ceased.  Their  publi- 
cation Avas  resumed  when  Thomas  Meehan  and  vounoer 
sons  established  "Meehan's  Monthly."  in  1890.* 

Thomas  Meehan's  career  as  a  public  man  began  in  war 
time,  when  he  was  joined  with  a  numl^er  of  prominent  men 
in  an  endeavor  to  compromise  with  the  South.  He  was 
also  instrumental,  with  others,  in  the  drawing  up  of  the 
rough  draft  of  the  Crittenden  Resolutions.  In  1876  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of  Germantown.  In 
1880,  at  the  demand  of  the  Independent  Republicans,  he 
consented  to  stand  for  Common  Councils  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  Through  his  endeavors,  in  ten  years  Germantown, 
from  being  traversed  by  dirt  streets,  became  one  of  the  best 
paved  portions  of  the  city.  Mr.  Meehan  also  secured  the 
passage  of  an  ordinance  requiring  that  public  school-houses 
be  built  of  two  stories. 

One  of  his  first  movements  as  Councilman  was  to 
introduce  an  ordinance  to  select  unimproved  plots  over  the 
whole  city,  a  few  miles  apart,  leaving  them  to  grow  in 
value,  and  then  sell  outlying  portions,  in  order  to  pay  for 
the  parks.t  This  plan  was  pronounced  illegal  by  the  City 
Solicitor,  the  charter  of  Philadelphia  forbidding  it  to  sell 
real  estate.  A  plan  to  raise  a  loan  for  purchasing  the  plots 
was  also  found  to  be  impracticable,  the  debt  of  the  city 
having  already  reached  the  limit  allowed  by  law.  The 
only  method  left  was  to  put  such  plots  on  the  plan  as  were 
not  likely  to  be  pushed  for  purchase  for  a  number  of  years, 
so  that  they  could  be  taken  gradually  as  the  annual  income 
of  the  city  permitted. 

*  Meehan's  Monthly,  Devoted  to  General  Gardening  and  Wild  Flowers. 
Conducted  by  Thomas  Meehan.  Published  by  Thomas  Meehan  A:  Sons,  Germantown  , 
Philadelphia. 

t  Garden  and  Forest,  VI :  248. 


TJIOMAS    MKEHAN. 


THE    BOTANISTS    oF    I'l  I  H.A  I  (KLril  I  A.  253 

Bai'traiii  ( iar(Kn.  tlu'  lirs(  iiisjtirini;-  tliou^ht  in  the 
movement,  was,  natui-ally,  tlic  tirst  park  taken.  Stenton 
Park,  the  estate  of  Logan,  the  Seeretary  of  tlie  (Vnnnion- 
wealth  under  Penn,  himself  a  great  botanist,  as  the  natural 
order  Loganiace^r  so  well  commemorates,  was  next  placed  on 
the  plan.  Then  followed  Stouton,  Juniata,  Frankford, 
Waterview,  Treaty  Elm— the  spot  on  which  Penn  made  his 
celebrated  treaty  with  the  Indians— John  Dickinson, 
AVharton,  Mifflin,  Harrowgate— the  site  of  the  famous  Har- 
rowgate  Springs— Vernon,  Womrath,  Ontario,  Pleasant  Kill, 
Fotterall,  Weccacoe  and  Starr  Gardens. 

Next  to  Bartram  Garden,  the  crowning  success  of  the 
whole  movement,  so  largely  due  to  :\Ir.  Meehan's  efforts,  is 
Vernon  Park,  a  tract  of  twelve  acres  in  Germantown. 
Although  recently  in  the  family  of  the  Wisters,  it  was 
originally  laid  out  and  planned  by  Meng,  one  of  the  earlv 
settlers  in  Germantown,  a  wealthy  banker  and  a  lover  of 
rare  plants.  Under  his  patronage  Kin,  an  early  botanical 
explorer,  traveled. 

It  was  largely  Mr.  Meehan's  influence  in  Councils 
which  procured  an  appropriation  to  secure  the  exhibits  at 
the  World's  Fair,  and  which  were  later  incorporated  by  Act 
of  Councils,  approved  by  the  Mayor,  June  15,  1894,  into 
the  Philadelphia  Museums.  :\Ir.  Meehan  has  been  tlie 
constant  friend  of  the  institution,  since  its  inception,  in  pro- 
curing necessary  legislation. 

Professor  Meehan,  as  a  scientific  man,  has  corresponded 
with  most  of  the  scientists  of  prominence  in  l)oth  Europe 
and  America.  A  close  correspondence  was  maintained 
with   Charles   Darwin,  who   relied  on   Mr.  ^Median's  obser- 


254  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

vations  for  many  of  the  facts  incorporated  in  his  books. 
This  correspondence  continued,  until  a  shght  misunder- 
standing between  them  finally  put  a  stop  to  their  letter- 
writing  and  pleasant  intercourse.  Mr.  Darwin  gives  credit 
to  Median's  acute  observations  in  many  places  in  his 
epoch-making  works.  Rev.  Mr.  Henslow  also  drew  upon 
Mr.  Meehan's  mint  of  information  concerning  plants  in 
general,  in  the  preparation  of  his  book,  "  Origin  of  Floral 
Structures."  Mr.  Meehan's  entire  attention  is  not  directed 
to  the  publication  of  scientific  papers,  but  part  of  his  time 
is  given  to  experimenting,  testing,  observing,  and  collecting. 
Many  of  his  observations  lack  the  force  which  a  perusal 
of  the  literature  of  the  subject  would  give  them.  His 
published  contributions  to  botany  are  numbered  by  the 
hundreds.  It  would  be  impossible  in  the  limits  imposed 
upon  this  book  to  enumerate  his  papers  on  botanical  subjects. 
Mr.  Meehan's  views  have  been  antagonized  many  times 
by  botanists  who  have  not  leaned  to  his  way  of  thinking, 
but  they  all  acknowledge  his  worth  as  a  man,  his  untiring 
public  spirit,  his  wide  philanthrophy,  his  kind  heart  and 
pleasant  ways.  A  man  of  powerful  build  and  a  distinguished 
presence,  Mr.  Meehan  has  left  his  mark  in  the  fields  of 
legislation  and  science.  * 

A  trip  to  Meehan's  nursery  in  Germantown  well  repays 
a  lover  of  trees.*  In  no  other  place  are  American  trees 
and  shrubs  raised  in  such  quantities.  Mr.  Meehan  early 
recognized  that  eastern  America  is  particularly  suited  for 
deciduous-leaved  plants,  and  that  American  plants  are  the 
best  for  America.     The  senior  member  of  the  firm  has  been 


1893.     Garden  and  Forest,  VI : 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  2oO 

busy  for  years  raising  American  oaks,  maples,  ashes,  dog- 
woods and  scores  of  other  }  (hints.  Conws  florida,  one  of  the 
finest  of  all  harcl}^  flowering  trees,  is  raised  by  thousands. 
Trees  not  often  seen  in  nurseries,  like  the  tupelo,  sassa- 
fras, persimmon  and  sycamore  are  here  in  numbers,  as  are 
the  magnolias  and  the  tulip  tree.  I>ut  the  nursery  is  not 
only  noted  for  the  cultivation  of  American  plants ;  many 
exotic  species  are  cultivated  on  a  large  scale,  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly true  that  the  stock  of  young  plants  of  the  beautiful 
Japanese  Viburnum  plicatum  is  larger  than  can  be  found 
in  all  other  American  and  European  nurseries  combined. 

The  Germantown  nurseries  contain  a  number  of  re- 
markable and  interesting  botanical  specimens.  Here  is  the 
original  of  the  well-known  weeping  dogwood,  Cornus  florida, 
found  in  woods  near  Baltimore,  and  the  original  plant  of 
Haleda  Meehaiii,  a  chance  seedling  raised  by  Mr.  Meehan.* 
There  are  here  also  a  small  specimen  of  a  weeping  variety 
of  Prunus  serotina  and  a  fastigiate  tree  of  Picea  Engelmanni, 
produced  from  a  graft  brought  by  Mr.  Meehan  from  the 
timber-line  on  Gray's  Peak  in  Colorado. 

One  of  the  best  plants  in  the  United  States  or  Europe 
of  the  Japanese  and  northern  China,  Qaercus  dentata,  can  be 
seen  in  this  garden,  thirty  feet  high,  with  a  stout,  Avell-formed 
trunk  and  spreading  branches.  The  hardiness  of  this  hand- 
some tree  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  appears  to 
be  demonstrated.  Here,  too,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  Cedrela 
Sinensis,  nearly  thirty  feet  high.  Near  the  cedrela  flour- 
ishes one  of  the  best  specimens  of  Hovenia  dulcis,  which  can 
be  seen  outside  of  Japan.     There  grows  a   large  specimen, 

*  Garden  and  Forest,  V  :  535,  figure. 


256  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

too,  of  Zizijplius  vulgaris,  the  JujuLe  tree ;  this  beautiful  tree, 
a  native  also  of  Northern  China,  appears  perfectly  hardy  in 
Germantown.  A  remarkable  plant  of  PUrostyrax  hispidum 
is  more  than  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  a  tall,  straight 
trunk  and  wide-spreading  branches. 

The  great-leaved  Oregon  maple,  Acer  macrophylliim,  is 
represented  by  three  handsome  specimens,  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  high,  covered  with  dark  green  leaves.  Two  large 
plants  of  a  weeping  form  of  Ulmus  Americana,  found  near 
Galena,  in  Illinois,  show  the  value  of  this  variety  as  an 
ornamental  tree..  Of  the  flowering  trees  in  the  nursery 
nothing  is  so  beautiful  as  Gordonia  Altamaha,  the  rarest  of 
all  Xorth  American  trees.  ]\Ir.  Meehan  raises  it  extensively, 
fully  appreciating  its  value  and  the  beauty  of  its  large, 
fragrant  white  flowers,  which  resemble  those  of  a  single- 
flowered  Camellia,  and  of  its  large  leaves  which  in  autumn 
assume  the  most  brilliant  scarlet  tints. 

Among  the  conifers  are  two  of  much  interest ;  one  of 
these,  Betinospora  squarrosa,  a  plant  which  deceived  such  a 
good  botanist  as  Maximowicz,  who  considered  it  a  species,  but 
which  here  has  entirely  grown  out  of  its  juvenile  squarrose- 
leaved  form,  with  the  excejDtion  of  two  lower  branches,  and 
displaying  its  true  character,  showing  that  it  is  only  a 
juvenile  form  of  Betinospora  pisifera.  The  second  is  the 
so-called  Betinospora  ericoides  which,  growing  into  its 
mature  form,  shows  that  this  plant  is  only  a  young- 
state  of  the  common  arbor-vitee  (Thuya  occidentcdis).  The 
ground,  although  devoted  as  a  nursery  to  commercial  pur- 
poses, is  also  a  respectable  botanical  garden,  presided  over 
by  a  botanist  of  great  experience  and  insight. 


THE    IJOTANISTS    OF    PIIILA  DKLPII I  A.  257 

JOHN  GIBBONS  HUNT. 

John  Gil)l)ons  Hunt,  M.  I).,  was  born  July  "27, 1S2G,  and 
was  for  a  long  time  an  intimate  associate  of  Joseph  Zent- 
mayer  in  microscopy.  Like  Zentmayer,  Dr.  Hunt  was  not 
a  prolific  Avriter,  although  he  contributed  a  numV)er 
of  short  articles  to  the  Cincinnati  Medical  Neiu.'^,  and  some 
minor  periodicals.  As  a  manipulator  of  the  microscope 
and  preparer  of  objects  he  was  unsurpassed,  but  he  looked 
on  this  skill  as  only  the  means  to  an  end — a  knowledge  of 
the  objects  themselves.  Having  made  himself  familiar  with 
animal  histology,  he  very  early  turned  his  attention  to  the 
anatomy  of  plants  of  which  he  acquired  an  intimate 
acquaintance.  He  was  one  of  the  very  first  to  apply  to 
plants  the  methods  of  staining  that  were  in  use  for  animal 
tissues,  having  begun  before  1850.  In  1S53  he  first  com- 
menced double  staining  vegetal  tissues,  by  methods  after- 
wards published  by  Dr.  Beatty,  of  Baltimore,  whose  articles 
were  widely  quoted  in  the  journals  of  this  country  and  Europe. 
In  1850  he  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of  tlie 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  in  July,  1858,  and  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  in  May,  1884. 

It  was  as  a  teacher  that  Dr.  Hunt  exercised  his  greatest 
influence.  A  practicing  physician  for  many  years  in  Phila- 
delphia, he  still  found  time  to  give  a  great  deal  of  attention 
to  instructing  medical  students  and  others  in  the  use  and 
care  of  the  microscope  and  in  the  preparation  of  microscopic 
slides  and  objects.  He  was  Professor  of  Histology  in  the 
Woman's  Medical  College  for  a  number  of  years. 

Founder  of  the  Biological  and  Microscopical  Section  of 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  Conservator  from 


258  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

1872  to  ISSO,  Professor  Hunt  did  much  good  work.  He 
was  the  first  professor  appointed  under  the  bydaws  of  the 
Academy  to  the  chair  of  histology  and  microscopic  tech- 
nology, and  although  master  of  the  most  refined  technique, 
he  never  received  a  large  share  of  popular  recognition  on 
account  of  his  native  modesty  and  reserve. 

JAMES  DARRACH. 

James  Darrach  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  December  8, 
1828,  the  son  of  Dr.  William  Darrach,  a  descendant  of 
William  Bradford,  the  first  printer  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  founder  of  the  first  newspaper  in  New  York,  and 
Margaret  Monro,  descended  from  Colonel  Plaslitt,  who  fell 
at  the  battle  of  Princeton.  He  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  received  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  in  1849,  and  that  of  M.  D.  in  1852,  having  spent  a 
part  of  the  interval  in  his  father's  office.  He  settled  first  in 
Philadelphia,  where  he  resided  till  1861,  when  he  removed 
to  Germantown.  After  graduating  he  studied  analytical 
chemistry  in  Booth's  Laboratory,  for  six  or  nine  months. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  as  resi- 
dent for  three  months  and  as  surgeon  for  eighteen  months, 
including  the  period  of  what  is  known  as  the  yellow  fever 
epidemic  of  1854. 

He  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  the  Philadelphia  Medical  School,  and  was 
Lecturer  on  Materia  Medica  in  the  Philadelphia  School  of 
Medicine  until  it  dissolved.  He  was  Assistant  Demonstrator 
of  Anatomy  and  Clinical  Assistant  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  for  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phila- 
delphia County  Medical  Society,  of  the  College  of  Physi- 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  259 

ciaiis,  of  the  Pathological  Society,  and  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences.  The  transactions  of  some,  if  not  of  all  of 
these  societies,  have  been  enriched  by  contiilnitions  from 
his  pen.  During  the  late  war  he  established  the  Cuyler 
Hospital,  at  Germantown,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
surgeons  in  charge.  Dr.  Darrach  married  Sarah  ^lorris, 
granddaughter  of  Robert  Morris,  the  financier  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

With  Dr.  Darrach  botany  has  always  been  a  side  issue, 
having  first  begun  its  study  because  in  need  of  out-door 
exercise.  At  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  .Joseph  Leidy,  Dr.  Dar- 
rach made  a  careful  study  of  our  local  flora,  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Leidy,  Charles  E.  Smith  and  Aubrey  Smith,  pu]> 
lishing  the  result  of  his  researches  and  collections  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  for  1853,  and 
later  in  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "  Plants  Appearing  in  Flower 
in  the  Neighborhood  of  Philadelphia,  from  February  to 
November."     Printed  in  1882. 

JOB  B.  ELLIS. 

The  subject  of  the  present  sketch  *  was  born  at  Potsdam, 
New  York,  January  21,  1829.  He  evinced  a  remarkable 
fondness  for  study  at  an  early  age,  and  the  time  not  spent 
at  school  or  at  work  on  his  father's  farm,  was  devoted  to 
reading.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  taught  the  winter  school 
at  Stockholm,  St.  Lawrence  County.  Here  the  lad  received 
for  his  services  ten  dollars  a  month  and  "  boarded  around." 
Five  of  the  ten  dollars  was  paid  in  cash,  the  other  five  was 
to  be  paid  in  grain.  It  was  just  twenty  years  afterward 
when  the  last  of  the  grain  was  turned  over  to  him.    Having 

*  From  the  Botanical  Gazette,  vol.  XV.,  No.  11,  p.  299.    F.  W.  Anderson,  1890. 


260  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

completed  his  academical  course  he  entered  Union  College 
at  Schenectady,  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1849.  By  the 
end  of  the  term  his  funds  were  exhausted,  and  he  had  to 
seek  employment  for  the  winter.  So,  in  company  with  A.  B, 
Smith,  now  a  successful  lawyer  of  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,, 
he  started  afoot  to  Saratoga  County  to  find  a  school  to 
teach.  After  walking  for  some  miles  they  came  to  where 
the  road  forked  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  pine  wood.  Not 
knowing  which  fork  to  take,  a  stick  was  set  up  on  one  end 
and  allowed  to  fell.  It  fell  towards  the  right-hand  fork^ 
which  the  young  men  followed,  and  soon  came  to  the 
village  of  Charlton.  Here  Mr.  Ellis  got  a  school,  while 
Smith  went  on  to  Gal  way,  the  next  village,  and,  fortunately, 
got  the  school  there.  In  June,  1851,  Mr.  Ellis  graduated 
from  Union  College  wdth  the  degree  of  A.  B.  (since  advanced 
to  A.  M.),  and  went  to  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  into  a 
select  school  with  the  Rev.  D.  Washburn e. 

He  had  studied  botany  a  little  at  college,  but  it  was^ 
here  that  he  commenced  to  take  an  active  interest  in 
phanerogamic  botany,  little  dreaming  what  the  outcome 
would  be.  The  earliest  plants  he  remembers  collecting  were 
Liparis  liliifolia  and  Lygodium  palmatum.  In  November,, 
1851,  he  severed  his  connection  with  the  school  and  entered 
the  Albany  Acadeni}^  as  classical  tutor,  remaining  one  year. 
This  position  was  better  suited  to  his  taste,  for  he  had 
decided  to  become  a  professional  teacher  of  classics.  George 
H.  Cook,  recently  deceased.  State  Geologist  of  New  Jersey,  was 
Principal  of  the  Academy.  The  evenings  were  spent  making 
blow-pipe  analyses  of  minerals  with  G.  W.  Taylor,  a  fellow- 
tutor.  The  following  year  he  and  Taylor  went  into  a  select 
school  together  for  three  months,  but  as  it  did  not  pay,  the 


jOli    H.    1:LLI!S. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'HILADKLPHIA.  261 

school  was  broken  uj),  and  Mr.  Ellis  returned  to  Potsdam. 
While  with  Taylor  he  saw  by  chance  a  notice  of  Ravenel's 
Fungi  Caroliniani  Exsiccati,  the  first  thing  of  the  kind  ever 
issued  in  America.  While  at  college  he  had  frequently 
noticed  the  agarics,  but  not  knowing  where  to  get  books  or 
information  concerning  fungi,  he  let  them  alone.  But  upon 
seeing  the  notice  of  Ravenel's  collection,  he  wrote  to  him 
and  then  commenced  a  correspondence  (in  1857),  inter- 
rupted only  by  the  war,  which  lasted  till  Ravenel's  death. 
He  continued  collecting  phanerogams  until  1870,  at  the 
same  time  giving  gradually  more  and  more  attention  to 
fungi.  In  1870  he  sold  his  phanerogamic  collection,  con- 
taining about  1000  species,  to  St.  Lawrence  University, 
Canton,  New  York. 

In  May,  1853,  he  moved  to  Poughkeepsie,  entering  a 
Mr.  Bartlett's  boarding-school  as  classical  teacher,  and 
stayed  two  years.  While  there  he  and  Professor  Buckhout, 
now  of  State  College,  Centre  County,  Pennsylvania,  col- 
lected plants  on  Saturday,  and,  said  he  :  "  On  Sundays,  too, 
if  we  could  steal  away,  for  Mr.  Bartlett  was  very  pious."  In 
February,  1855,  in  company  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  L.  B. 
Doud,  late  of  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska,  he  left  Poughkeepsie 
for  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  with  the  intention  of  teach- 
ing school  there.  He  called  on  one  of  the  professors  in  the 
South  Carolina  College  to  seek  information  on  the  subject. 
Said  he :  "I  told  him  that  I  had  come  South  to  teach  and 
make  a  home  there.  He  at  once  asked  me  whence  I  came, 
and  when  I  answei'ed  from  New  York,  he  replied,  while 
slowly  swinging  in  his  revolving  office  chair,  '  \^>11,  the 
state  of  feeling  between  the  North  and  South  is  such  that  I 
doubt  very   much   whether   you  will  succeed.' "     And  he 


262  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

didn't.  From  Charleston  he  and  his  sister  went  to 
Alexander,  near  Augusta,  Georgia.  Here  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  position  in  an  academy,  and  taught  one  term. 
One  morning  he  went  to  the  class-room  and  found  a  huge 
living  snake  writhing  about  in  the  big  open  fire-place,  sus- 
pended by  a  stout  string,  tied  tightly  about  its  middle,  and 
hanging  from  a  hook  in  the  chimney,  where  the  boys 
had  placed  it  for  fun.  He  returned  to  Potsdam,  and 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1856,  an  event  took  place  which 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  do  the  enormous  and  valu- 
able work  he  has  since  done  for  American  mycology. 
This  was  his  marriage  to  Miss  Arvilla  J.  Bacon,  who  has 
been  a  faithful  partner  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  and  a 
constant  and  painstaking  assistant  in  his  mycological 
work  for  the  past  thirty-four  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1856  he  became  Principal  of  Canton 
Academy.  In  1863  Mr.  Ellis  connected  himself  with  one  of 
the  public  schools  in  Potsdam  village.  He  was  engaged  there 
until  September,  1864,  when  he  entered  the  United  States 
Xavy  at  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  spent  the  winter  of 
1864-5  on  a  United  States  steam-frigate  of  the  Xorth 
Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron.  He  was  present  at  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Fisher,  three  days  in  December,  1864, 
and  three  days  in  January,  1865,  when  the  fort  was  taken. 
While  on  the  war-ship  he  became  acquainted  with  a  man 
named  Hale  from  New  Jersey,  who  told  him  of  the  good 
climate  in  the  vicinity  of  Xewfield.  At  the  close  of  the 
War,  in  the  spring  of  1865,  Mr.  Ellis  once  more  returned  to 
his  native  town  (which  he  has  visited  but  once  since),  and 
removed  his  worldly  possessions  to  Xewfield,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  has  continuously  lived,  twenty-five  years  having 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  263 

been  spent  under  the  present  roof.     Sinee  living  tliere  he 
has  been  engaged  in  a  variety  of  pursuits. 

In  1S78,  he  dropped  every  thing  else  and  com- 
menced to  devote  his  whole  time  to  fungi,  desiring  to  dis- 
seminate more  widely  a  knowledge  of  North  American 
fungi  and  to  arouse  home  botanists,  if  possible,  from  their 
apathetic  indifference  towards  tlu'se  plants.  He  decided  to 
begin  in  a  modest  way  by  issuing  ten  sets  of  New  Jersey 
fungi,  under  the  title  of  "  Fungi  Nova-Ceesarienses."  He 
put  up  ten  centuries  on  sheets  of  paper  in  boxes.  Of  the 
two  sets  sold  one  went  to  Dr.  Farlow,  tlie  otlior  to  Mr.  Isaac 
C.  ^Fartindale.  About  this  time  Mr.  Ellis  went  to  see  the 
latter  gentleman,  who  asked,  ''Why  not  call  it  N.  A.  F."? 
Mr.  Ellis  seeing  the  greater  appropriateness  and  scope  of 
such  a  title  recalled  the  two  sets  and  concluded  to  get  out 
a  series  of  centuries  in  bound  volumes,  entitled,  "  North 
American  Fungi."  At  that  time  he  was  so  pressed  for  means 
that  he  had  not  money  enough  to  get  the  books  made  for 
the  first  two  centuries.  Thereupon,  Prof.  Farlow,  who 
favored  the  scheme,  had  the  books  made  in  Boston  and 
advanced  them  to  Mr.  Ellis,  who  paid  for  tliem  as  soon  as  he 
was  able.  The  centuries  took  well  from  the  start,  and  from 
thirty-five  sets  to  begin  with  the  demand  rapidly  increased 
up  to  fifty-three  sets,  which  number  of  copies  has  been 
issued  regularly  for  the  past  five  or  six  years.  Altogether 
thirty-six  centuries  have  been  issued.  In  all  this  great 
undertaking,  as  well  as  in  others  which  might  be  mentioned, 
the  cheerful  interest  and  practical  helpfulness  of  Mrs. 
Ellis  has  been  constantly  apparent.  She  has  made 
and  bound  all  the  books  except  the  first  sixty,  which  Dr. 
Farlow  kindly  advanced  for  his  friend  at  the  beginning. 


264  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Nearly  all  of  the  specimens  have  been  cleaned,  sorted,  })ut 
into  neat  pockets,  labeled  and  fastened  into  the  books  by 
her  own  hands.  Mr.  Ellis  himself  says,  that  owing  to  his 
great  correspondence  and  the  enormously  burdendsome 
quantity  of  material  constantly  being  sent  to  him  for 
determination  and  comparison,  he  would  not  have  been  able 
to  get  out  the  "  N.  A.  F."  without  her  valuable  aid. 

From  1876  to  1879,  not  having  at  that  time  the  books  and 
exsiccati  collections  necessary  for  independent  work,  many 
specimens  were  sent  to  Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke,  who  determined 
and  published  them  in  GreviUea.  Under  the  circumstances 
then  existing  this  course  seemed  necessary,  though  it  called 
out  some  adverse  criticism  at  the  time. 

Since  1880  Mr.  Ellis  has  been  associated  with  ^Ir.  Ben- 
jamin M.  Everhart,  who  has  freely  placed  at  his  friend's 
disposal  his  splendid  botanical  library  and  extensive 
mycological  collections,  and  to  his  aid  and  counsel  Mr.  Ellis 
feels  greatly  indebted. 

In  July,  1878,  jSIr.  Ellis  w^as  elected  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadel- 
phia. In  August,  1882,  he  was  elected  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  Cryptogam ic  Society  of  Scotland,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  was  elected  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  "  Die  Kaiserlich-Konigliche  Zoologisch-Botanische 
Cxesellschaft  in  "Wien." 

Mr.  Ellis  leads  a  quiet  and  retired  life  well  suited  to 
his  studious,  sensitive  nature.  Although  he  moved  about 
considerably  in  his  younger  days,  he  was  always  fond  of 
home,  as  can  be  plainly  seen  from  his  invariable  return  to 
Potsdam,  his  native  town,  after  every  venture  into  the  outer 
w^orld.     Too   much   excitement   of    anv   kind   affects   him 


THK     r.OTANISTS    OF    PiriLADKLI'HIA.  2G5 

painfully  even  now.  M'ith  considerable  quiet  humor  he 
tells  how  that  when  he  was  teaching  in  Mr.  Bartlett's  school 
he  determined  on  three  different  occasions  to  go  down  on 
the  boat  to  New  York  and  stay  there  several  days  to  "  do 
the  city,"  and  each  time  returned  home  on  the  first  train 
he  could  get,  suffering  with  a  violent  headache  caused  by 
the  excitement  of  tlie  trip  and  the  noisy  bustle  of  tlie  city. 
His  fellow-botanists  feel  his  influence  and  recognize  the 
value  of  his  work,  but  wonder  why  they  never  see  his 
kindly  face  at  any  of  the  botanical  meetings  of  the  country. 
It  is  simply  because  his  health,  at  all  times  precarious, 
demands  constant  quietude  coupled  with  strict  simplicity  and 
regularity  in  his  daily  life.  A  thorough  scholar  and  quite 
a  linguist,  he  is  perfectly  familiar  with  Latin,  Greek,  Ger- 
man and  French,  and  has  also  a  good  practical  knowledge 
of  Polish,  Swedish,  Italian  and  Spanish. 

What  Asa  Gray  was  to  American  phanerogamic  botany, 
Job  B.  Ellis  is  to  American  mycology.  He  has  published 
besides  numerous  other  papers  on  mycology,  a  manual  of 
North  American  Pyrenomycetes  *  which  has  given  a  great 
impetus  to  the  study  of  fungi  in  this  country.  Despite  a 
checkered  and  toilsome  life  in  past  years,  often  in  financial 
straits,  and  always  burdened  with  delicate  health,  he  has 
probably  done  more  than  any  other  man  in  America  to 
advance  the  knowledge  of  our  native  fungi  and  to  stimulate 
the  ardor  of  every  student  of  mycology. 

The  collection  of  fungi,  made  by  Mr.  Ellis,  represents 
the  net  results  of  over  forty  years  continued  work  in 
collecting,  determining  and  arranging  the  different  species 

*  The  North  American  Pyrenomycetes.  A  Contribution  to  Mycologie  Botany. 
By  J.  B  Ellis  and  B.  M.  Everhart,  with  original  illustrations  by  F.  W.  Anderson.  New- 
lield,  New  Jersey,  1892.    Octavo,  7'JJ  pp.,  tab.  41. 


266  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  Xorth  American  Fungi,  and  contains  specimens  of  tlie 
majority  of  the  species  found  in  this  country,  including 
many  of  the  species  published  by  De  Schweinitz,  as  well  as  a 
large  part  of  those  collected  by  Curtis  and  Ravenel,  and 
type  specimens  of  all  the  species  published  by  J.  B.  Ellis, 
either  alone  or  in  connection  with  others  (Cooke,  Everhart, 
Martin,  Kellermann,  Langlois,  Holway,  Dearness  and  Gal- 
loway), many  hundreds  of  new  species,  the  most  of  which 
are  not  found  in  any  other  collection.  On  account  of  the 
more  general  interest  now  felt  in  the  study  of  mycology, 
specimens  have  been  sent  for  determination  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  from  Alaska  to  Texas  and  Florida,  and  from 
Maine  to  California,  so  that  the  collection  contains  a  greater 
variety  of  forms  than  anv  previously  made  here.  Amono; 
the  collectors  who  have  contributed  S23ecimens  are  Dr.  H. 
W.  Ravenel,  of  South  Carolina ;  Dr.  John  Macoun,  Botanist 
of  the  Canadian  Geological  and  Natural  Historical  Survey ; 
Mr.  John  Dearness,  County  School  Superintendent,  London, 
Canada ;  Rev.  F.  D.  Kelsey,  F.  W.  Anderson,  and  ]\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  H.  ^I.  Fitch,  of  ^lontana ;  the  late  AVilliam  C.  Car- 
penter, from  Oregon ;  AV.  N.  Suksdorf,  from  "Washington ; 
Dr.  H.  AV.  Harkness,  from  California;  Mr.  T.  D.  A. 
Cockerell,  from  Colorado ;  Dr.  W.  A.  Kellermann,  from 
Kansas ;  Rev.  C.  H.  Demetrio  and  Dr.  B.  T.  Galloway,  from 
Missouri ;  Rev.  A.  B.  Langlois,  from  Louisiana ;  Professor 
S.  M.  Tracy,  from  Mississippi ;  Dr.  George  Martin  and 
Colonel  W.  W.  Calkins,  from  Florida ;  Mr.  Commons,  from 
Delaware ;  Mr.  Benjamin  ]\L  Everhart,  from  Pennsylvania ; 
Professor  C.  H.  Peck,  from  Xew  York  State;  E.  W.  D. 
Llolway,  from  Iowa,  and  various  others  from  other  parts  of 
the   country.      Besides    the   Xorth   American   species,   the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  2G7 

Herbarium  contains  about  500  species  collected  by  Spe- 
gazzini  and  Balansa  in  South  America,  and  200  or  more 
from  Messrs.  Patouillard  and  Gaillard,  collected  by  the 
latter  in  the  Orinoco  country  and  Venezuela. 

Important  collections  have  also  been  sent  from  Sierra 
Leone,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  by  the  Rev.  J.  xVugustus 
Cole.  Many  valuable  specimens,  especially  of  the  larger 
fungi,  from  various  parts  of  the  world,  mostly  from  India 
and  Australia,  have  been  received  from  Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke,  of 
London.  All  this  material,  together  with  the  extensive 
collections  made  around  Newfield,  New  Jersey,  is  arranged 
in  150  cjuarto  volumes  of  the  same  style  as  the  North 
American  Fungi  and  in  100  tin  cans  and  wooden  boxes, 
the  latter  12  x  10  x  6  inches,  with  hinges  and  clasps  for 
fastening ;  the  tin  cans  being  10  inches  high  and  SJ  inches 
in  diameter,  with  close-fitting  covers,  so  as  to  make  the 
contents  safe  from  the  depredations  of  insects.  Of  the 
regular  exsiccati,  the  Herbarium  contains : 

1.  North  American  Fungi,  36  volumes  or  centuries  ; 
each  volume  containing  100  species  of  fungi,  represented  by 
actual  specimens,  w4th  printed  labels  giving  name  of  fungus, 
locality  and  host,  with  name  of  the  collector.  Besides  the 
specimens  with  printed  label,  this  set  contains  duplicate 
specimens  of  many  of  the  species  from  different  localities  or 
on  different  hosts,  with  many  postal  cards  and  letters  from 
various  European  and  American  mycologists,  referring  to 
species  whose  authenticity  may  have  been  called  in  question. 

2.  Ravenel's  Fungi  Americani,  800  species,  edited  by 
Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke.  This  collection  is  valuable,  as  furnishing* 
authentic  specimens  of  the  species  described  by  Dr.  Cooke. 

3.  Ravenel's  Fungi  Caroliniani  Exsiccati,  5  centuries 


"268  THE    BOTANISTS    OK    PJriLADKI.PHI A. 

ill  bound  volumes  like  the  North  America  Flora.  This 
was  issued  from  lS'y'2  to  1860,  and  has  been  out  of  the 
market  for  thirty  years.  It  is  valuable  as  furnishing 
authentic  specimens  of  many  of  the  species  described  by 
Berkeley  and  Curtis. 

4.  De  Thumen's  Fungi  Austriaci,  centuries  6-12  (1872- 
1874)  containing  600  species  of  Austrian  fungi.  The 
specimens  were  originally  distributed  on  loose  sheets  in 
pasteboard  covers,  but  they  have  in  this  and  other  exsiccati 
issued  in  this  form,  all  been  arranged  in  bound  volumes 
like  the  Xorth  American  Flora. 

5.  De  Thumen's  Mycotheca  Universalis,  centuries  1-23 
(1875-1884).  This  collection  embraces  specimens  from  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

6.  Linhart's  Hungarian  Fungi,  complete,  5  centuries 
(1883-1885). 

7.  Saccardo's  Mycotheca  Veneta,  centuries  12,  13,  15 
and  16  (incomplete).  The  specimens  in  these  four  centuries 
are  on  loose  sheets  in  pasteboard  covers,  as  originally  issued. 

8.  Rabenhorst's  Fungi  Europsei,  1900  numbers  (19 
-centuries),  including  the  continuation,  by  Winter  and 
Paszchke. 

9.  Desmazieres,  Plantes  Cryptogames  de  France,  a  com- 
plete set  of  the  first  edition  (1830-1851)  lacking  only  125 
numbers  in  fascicles  I-X.  This  is  a  very  valuable  col- 
lection, comprising  with  four  fascicles  of  edition  2d  (1852- 
1854)  38  complete  volumes  in  the  original  binding  (50 
numbers  in  each  volume). 

The  set  in  the  Ellis  Herbarium  formerly  belonged  to 
the  Rev.  M.  J.  Berkeley,  and  accompanying  many  of  the 
specimens  are  drawings  by  j\Ir.  Berkeley,  representing  the 


Tin^:  BOTANISTS  OF  philadp:lphia.  269 

spores,  and  thus  adding  materially  to  the  value  of  the  set. 
There  is  also  a  complete  index  to  all  the  species  in  both 
editions.     As  far  as  known,  there  is  only  one  other  set  of 
this  collection  in  America. 

10.  Sydow's  Mycotheca  Marchica,  a  comj^lete  set  43 
centuries,  containing  3400  numbers.  This  collection  was 
commenced  in  18S0,  and  is  still  being  issued. 

11.  Sydow's  Uredinece  (1889-1892)  12  fascicles,  600  num- 
bers ;  all  that  have  been  issued  up  to  this  date  (1892).  The 
species  in  this  collection  are  represented  and  illustrated  by 
copious  specimens,  and  the  collection  is  considered  to  be  one 
of  the  most  valuable  in  this  order  of  Funo-i. 

12.  A  collection  of  about  700  species  of  Finland  Fungi 
from  Dr.  P.  A.  Karsten,  Mustiala,  Finland.  All  the  different 
orders  of  Fungi  are  represented  in  this  collection,  especially 
the  Thelephorex  and  Polyporex,  including  many  of  the  new 
species  published  by  Dr.  Karsten. 

13.  Eriksson's  Fungi  Parasitici  Scandinavici  Exsiccati, 
10  fascicles,  500  numbers  (1882-1890).  The  fascicles  are  in 
the  original  binding,  and  everything,  from  the  specimens 
themselves  to  the  finish  of  the  books  which  contain  them, 
is  strictly  first-class.     The  series  is  not  yet  complete. 

14.  Krieger's  Fungi  Saxonici  Exsiccati,  21  foscicles, 
1050  numbers  (1885-1892),  complete  as  far  as  issued.  A 
very  valuable  collection  on  account  of  the  excellent  speci- 
mens, which  are  ample  and  good. 

15.  Spegazzini,  Hongos  Sud  Americanos,  5  decades,  50 
numbers  (1881),  representing  species  of  South  American 
Fungi,  collected  in  the  Argentine  Republic. 

16.  Fungi  Guaranitici,  400  species,  collected  by  Balansa, 
in  Brazil. 


270  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

17.  Cooke's  Fungi  Britannici,  2d  series,  1  century, 
with  specimens  of  100  species  of  British  Fungi,  each  illus- 
trated with  a  drawing  showing  the  characters  of  the  species. 

18.  Cooke's  Fungi  Britannici,  7  centuries,  1st  series, 
complete,  containing  specimens  of  700  species  of  British 
Fungi,  arranged  and  named  by  Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke.  The 
specimens  are  arranged  in  7  volumes,  like  those  used  in 
the  North  American  Fungi. 

19.  Micro  Fungi  Britannici,  collected,  named  and  pre- 
pared by  Rev.  J.  E.  Vize,  Westpool,  England,  5  centuries, 
Avith  specimens  of  500  species  of  British  micro-fungi. 

20.  L.  Romell,  Fungi  Exsiccati  Scandinavici,  century 
1st,  containing  specimens  of  100  Scandinavian  Fungi. 

21.  I.  Funghi  Parassiti  delle  Piante  Coltivate  od  Utili, 
per  cura  di  Giovanni  Briosi  and  Fridiano  Cavara.  Nine 
fascicles,  illustrating  225  species  of  fungi  parasitic  on  culti- 
vated or  useful  plants.  Published  at  Pavia,  Italy,  1888- 
1892.  This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  exsiccati,  each 
species  being  accompanied  by  a  fine  drawing. 

22.  F.  Cavara  Fungi  Langobardiee  Exsiccati,  pugillus 
I-IV,  Pavia,  Italy,  1892,  containing  200  species  of  Italian 
Fungi, 

23.  Economic  Fungi,  Seymour  and  Earle,  fascicles 
I-IV  (1890-1892),  containing  200  specimens  of  North  Ameri- 
can parasitic  fungi.  The  specimens  show  the  different 
forms  of  the  same  species  from  different  localities  and  on 
different  plants. 

24.  Kansas  Fungi,  by  Kellerman  and  Swingle,  2  fas- 
cicles, containing  specimens  of  50  species  of  Kansas  Fungi. 

25.  Rehm's  Ascomycetes,  Nos.  1-1050,  a  complete  set 
of   this   valuable   collection,   containing    specimens    illus- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  271 

tratiiig  1050  species  of  asycomycetous  fungi.  On  account 
of  the  bulk}'  character  of  many  of  the  specimens,  this  col- 
lection is  arranged  in  nine  boxes,  the  specimens,  in  the 
order  of  their  numbers,  being  fastened  on  heavy  sheets  of 
paper  and  laid  in  the  boxes  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  readily 
lifted  out  to  admit  of  the  examination  of  any  particular 
number.  On  account  of  the  character  of  the  specimens  and 
the  reputation  of  Dr.  Rehm,  who  issued  them,  this  is  one  of 
the  most  valuable  of  all  exsiccati. 

26.  Kunze's  Fungi  Selecti,  5  centuries,  containing  500 
specimens  of  fungi,  mostly  collected  around  Eisleben, 
Germany.  It  is  one  of  the  old  standard  collections, 
the  specimens  being  arranged  in  boxes  as  in  Rehm's 
Ascomycetes. 

27.  Fendler's  Venezuelan  Fungi,  100  species,  determined 
by  Berkeley.  These  are  from  the  herbarium  of  the  late 
Dr.  H.  W.  Ravenel.  There  are  about  100  species  of  Wright's 
Cuban  Fungi,  also  determined  by  Berkeley. 

28.  Roumeguere's  Fungi  Gallici,  67  centuries,  contain- 
ing 6700  specimens  of  Fungi,  mostly  collected  in  France. 

The  Exsiccati  (1-28)  are  arranged  in  230  (mostly 
bound)  volumes,  like  those  used  in  the  North  American 
Fungi,  only  more  elaborate,  being  covered  with  marbled 
paper,  with  the  covers  bound  in  cloth.  These  230  volumes 
do  not  include  Rehm's  Ascomycetes  and  Kunze's  Fungi 
Selecti,  which,  as  already  stated,  are  in  boxes. 

To  make  the  herbarium  available  for  practical  use,  a 
card  index,  alphabetically  arranged,  has  been  prepared,  so 
that  any  specimen  of  the  forty  thousand  estimated  to  be  in 
the  collection,  can  be  found  in  less  than  a  minute's  time, 
whether  contained  in  one  of  the  bound  volumes  or  in  one  of 
the  boxes  or  cans. 


272  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rHILADELPHIA. 

Besides  the  collection  of  Fungi,  there  is  a  small  col- 
lection of  Lichens,  including  a  complete  set  of  Lojka's 
Lichenotheca  Universalis  (250  species)  and  about  300  species 
of  American  lichens,  put  up  in  six  bound  volumes,  uniform 
with  the  rest.  There  are  also  300  numbers  of  Rehm's 
C'ladonia?,  and  300  numbers  of  Macoun's  Canadian  Mosses^ 
the  latter  arranged  in  three  bound  volumes."^ 

This  extensive  mycological  herbarium  has  been  })ur- 
chased  f  (1896)  by  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  New  York 
r>()tanical  Garden,  and  will  l)e  deposited  in  the  fire-proof 
nuiseum  building  of  the  garden,  wdiich  is  about  completed 
in  Bronx  Park.  The  purchase  also  includes  a  consider- 
able portion  of  Mr.  Ellis'  librar}^  and  the  collection 
will  be  taken  to  New  York  and  placed  in  a  fire-proof  storage 
warehouse  until  it  is  finally  placed  in  the  garden. 

ALBERT  COMMONS. 

Albert  Commons,  the  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Pliipps) 
Commons,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Doe  Run,  West  ^Lirl- 
borough  Tow^iship,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  January 
23,  1820,  the  fifth  on  his  father's  side,  from  Elizabeth  Max- 
well (a  niece  of  Daniel  Defoe)  of  London,  England,  who 
came  over  in  1725  and  was  married  to  Thomas  Job,  of 
Nottingham,  Maryland.  On  his  mother's  side  he  is  seventh 
in  descent  from  Joseph  Phipps,  wdio  came  over  with  Penn's 
Colonists  in  1682,  and  who  was  elected  a  representative 
from  Chester  County  to  the  first  Assembly  that  met  at 
Philadelphia  in  1683. 

Owing  to  ill-health  and  a  delicate  constitution,  the  only 
education  Albert  Commons  received  was  that  obtained  at  the 

*  Description  by  Mr.  Ellis  in  pamphlet  form,  issued  October  15, 1892. 
t  See  Garden  and  Forest,  IX  :  110,  March  11,  1896. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  273 

country  district  school,  where  he  became  interested  in  botany 
through  an  older  half  brother,  Franklin  Commons,  who, 
while  a  student  at  the  Academy  at  Union ville,  in  1839,  had 
purchased  a  copy  of  Darlington's  "  Flora  Cestrica,"  and  also 
had  a  tin  collecting  box  made.  Thus  equipped,  the  brothers 
made  excursions  to  collect  botanical  and  mineralogical 
specimens,  until  at  the  time  of  his  brother's  decease  in 
1842,  they  had  acquired  a  collection  of  about  five  hundred 
botanical  specimens.  Albert's  first  botanical  trip  in  Dela- 
ware was  in  1842,  when,  soon  after  the  removal  to  the  farm, 
his  brother  took  him  along-  on  one  of  his  excursions  around 
the  neighborhood.  Ever  since  that  he  has  taken  an  interest 
in  botanical  pursuits,  and  has  now  a  larger  collection  of 
the  plants  of  Delaware,  perhaps,  than  any  other  in  the  state. 
Having  nearly  three  thousand  species  listed — of  mosses, 
over  sixty  species ;  hepatics,  forty  species ;  lichens,  IGO 
species,  and  of  fungi,  1300  species. 

JOHN  niCHAEL  HAISCH. 

John  Michael  Maisch  *  was  born  in  Germany,  at 
Hanau-on-the-Main,  January  30,  1831,  his  father  being 
Conrad  ^laisch,  a  merchant  of  moderate  means  in  that 
town.  He  attended,  at  first,  a  private  school,  then  the  city 
free  school,  and  later  the  middle  public  school. 

Here  he  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  his  teacher, 
Pastor  Worishoffer,  and  by  him  he  was  employed  to  correct 
the  lessons  of  the  lower  class,  and  in  return  received 
instructions  in  the  rudiments  of  French.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  and  a  half  years  he  left  this  school,  and  on  the 
advice  of  his  parents  he  determined  to  learn  the  jewelry 


*  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  January.  1894,  LXVI :  1. 


274  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Ijusiness.  His  instruction  lasted,  however,  only  a  few  days, 
as  he  was  still  of  the  age  when  he  was  compelled  by  law  to 
attend  school,  and  his  parents  could  not  obtain  an  official 
dismissal.  School  Inspector  Roeder,  on  the  recommendation 
of  Pastor  Worishoffer,  however,  obtained  for  him  free 
instruction  in  the  class  of  the  Realschule,  into  which  he  was 
taken  on  trial.  Here,  again,  he  proved  an  apt  scholar,  and 
drew  the  attention  of  his  teacher.  Pastor  Beinhauer.  Roeder, 
having  obtained  permission  to  open  an  Ober-realschule, 
Maisch  was  taken  into  the  third  division.  Theobald,  the 
teacher  of  botany  and  zoology,  became  interested  in  the 
vouncr  student,  and  revealed  to  him  the  wonders  of  the 
microscope.  Under  the  same  direction  Maisch  attended 
Ijotanical  and  mineralogical  excursions  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hanau.  These  opportunities  caused  Maisch  to  give  up  his 
intention  of  studying  theology  and  devote  himself  entirely 
to  the  natural  sciences  as  a  life-work,  but  it  seemed  as  if 
fate  had  ordained  otherwise. 

Compelled  to  leave  Germany  on  account  of  his  connec- 
tion with  a  party  of  revolutionists,  he  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  in  Baltimore  in  1849.  On  his  arrival  he  was 
almost  penniless,  and  to  supply  the  necessaries  of  life,  he 
obtained  employment  in  a  paper-box  manufactory,  and  sub- 
seipiently  in  a  mattress  factory  until  aljout  half  a  year  later, 
when  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Wiss ;  this  gentleman 
desired  to  open  a  drug  store,  which  he  afterwards  succeeded 
in  doing,  and  Mr.  Maisch  took  charge  of  the  store  for  him 
during  a  few  months  in  1S50,  after  being  instructed  by 
Dr.  Wiss  and  Dr.  A^ogler.  Towards  the  end  of  1851,  the 
store  was  sold,  and  Maisch  then  oljtained  employment  in 
AVashington,  where  he  held  the  position  of  assistant  in  a 
drug  store  until  1853,  when  he  came  to  Philadelphia,  as  his 


JOHN  M.  iNIAISCH. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  275 

parents  and  some  of  his  sisters  had  arrived  from  Europe. 
Until  1855  lie  acted  as  clerk  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  this  year  was  employed  in  a 
chemical  factory  of  Brooklyn.  In  1856  Mr.  Maisch  returned 
to  Philadelphia  and  accepted  the  position  of  clerk,  with 
E.  B.  Garrigues  and  Robert  Shoemaker  and  Company,  until 
1859 ;  he  then  took  charge  of  one  of  the  departments  of 
instruction  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy  for  medical  students, 
which  was  conducted  by  Professor  Parrish,  in  an  upper 
room  in  the  building  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Eighth  and 
Arch  Streets,  the  first  story  of  which  was  occupied  as  his 
drug  store.  In  1861  Mr.  Maisch  was  called  to  the  College 
of  Pharmacy  of  the  City  of  New  York,  as  Professor  of 
Pharmacy  and  Materia  Medica,  and  for  the  time  in  which 
he  was  not  engaged  in  his  duties  at  the  College,  he  found 
employment  at  the  laboratory  of  Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb.  In  1863 
Professor  Maisch  returned  to  Philadelphia  to  organize  and 
conduct  the  United  States  Army  Laboratory,  proposed  by 
Surgeon-General  Hammond,  and  of  this  he  was  Director 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  close  of  the  war, 
Professor  Maisch  opened  a  drug  store  at  1607  Ridge  Avenue, 
which  he  conducted  until  1871,  wdien  he  was  compelled  to 
dispose  of  it,  in  order  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  his 
duties  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  the 
secretaryshij)  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association. 
In  1856  Mr.  Maisch  joined  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  and  in  1860  was  made  Reporter  on  the  Progress 
of  Pharmacy.  Here  he  introduced  the  arrangement  of  the 
articles  which  has  since  been  retained.  In  1863  he  was 
made  First  Vice-President;  in  1865,  was  elected  Permanent 
Secretary,  which  position  he  retained  until  the  time  of  his 
death. 


276  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

The  College  of  Pharmacy  attracted  the  attention  of 
Mr.  Maisch  as  soon  as  he  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  and  it 
was  not  long  hefore  he  was  elected  a  member,  and  became 
a  contributor  to  its  journal.  The  earnest  manner  and 
industrious  habits  of  the  young  German  made  an  impres- 
sion upon  the  Editor  of  the  Journal  and  the  Professor  of 
Pharmacy  in  the  College,  AVilliam  Procter,  Jr.  On  the 
relinquishment  of  the  chair  of  pharmacy,  in  1866,  by 
Professor  Procter,  on  account  of  ill  health,  John  M.  Maisch 
was  called  upon  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  1867,  however. 
Professor  Maisch  exchanged  chairs  with  Professor  Parrish, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  title  of  the  chair  of  materia 
medica,  formerly  held  by  Professor  Parrish  was  enlarged, 
so  that  it  became  that  of  materia  medica  and  botany. 
Professor  ^laisch  retained  the  chair  of  materia  medica  and 
botany  until  the  time  of  his  death,  a  period  of  twenty-six 
years,  and  the  services  whicli  he  has  rendered  to  American 
Pharmacy  during  this  time  will  never  be  forgotten. 

When  ill-health  compelled  Professor  Procter,  in  1870, 
to  resign  the  editorship  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmarj/y 
Professor  Maisch  was  unanimously  chosen  to  fill  the  posi- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  the  Journal  was  enlarged  by 
making  it  a  monthly  instead  of  a  bi-monthly  publication, 
and  the  same  qualities,  with  which  he  was  so  plentifully 
endowed,  were  now  enlisted  in  this  new  field  of  labor.  The 
year  1870  was  an  eventful  one  for  him,  for  in  addition  to 
his  other  duties,  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  chemical 
laboratory,  which  had  been  organized  in  the  college,  through 
the  eff'orts  of  the  Alumni  Association. 

His  interest  in  pharmaceutical  literature,  and  Ms 
desire  to  add  to  the  sum  of  knowledge  in  his  chosen  pro- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  277 

fessioii,  was  manifested  soon  after  he  arrived  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  first  paper  that  he  wrote  for  the  Americaji  Journal 
of  Pharmacy  appeared  in  ^hirch,  1854,  the  title  being  :  "  On 
the  Adulteration  of  Drugs  and  Chemical  Preparations." 

Conjointly,  with  Dr.  Alfred  Stille,  was  issued  the 
^'  National  Dispensatory,"  each  author  dividing  the  field  of 
labor  between  them.  Professor  Stille  writing  the  medical  and 
the  therapeutical  portions,  whilst  Professor  Maisch  supplied 
the  botanical,  chemical  and  pharmaceutical  material ;  this 
work  has  gone  through  four  editions.  He  also  issued  a 
work  entitled,  "  Organic  Materia  Medica."  * 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1860,  he  was  elected  mem])er 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy.  His  first  botanical  paper  appeared  in  the 
Journal  in  1861,  and  is  entitled  "  On  Chelidonium  Majus." 
This  contains  also  a  chemical  account  of  the  constituents 
and  properties  of  the  plant. 

From  1861,  when  his  first  botanical  paper  was  pub- 
lished, until  1893,  when  his  last  paper  appeared,  "  On  the 
Tubers  of  Dioscorea  Species,"  a  large  number  of  important 
articles  appeared  from  his  pen. 

In  1892  Professor  Maisch's  friends  noticed  that  at  times 
he  appeared  to  be  suffering,  and  for  the  first  time  in  many 
years  he  was  occasionally  compelled  to  relinquish  some  of 
his  lectures.  It  was  not,  however,  until  April,  1893,  that  he 
experienced  a  difticulty  in  swallowing  food.  At  first  no  one 
realized  the  significance  of  this  symptom,  and  it  was  only 
after  a  considerable  increase  of  this  painful  sensation  that 
he   sought    medical  advice.      Gradually,  but    surely,   the 

*  A  Manual  of  Organic  Materia  Medica,  beiJig  a  Guide  to  Materia  Medica 
of  the  Vegetables  and  Animal  Kingdoms  for  the  Use  of  Students,  Druggists,  Phar- 
inacists  and  Phi/sicians.  By  John  M.  Maisch,  Ph.  D.  Third  edition.  Lea  Brothers  & 
€o.,  1887,  octavo,  xv,  532  pp. 


278  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

orifice  of  the  oesophagus  became  smaller  and  smaller,  and 
it  Avas  soon  recognized  that  a  malignant  growth  was  pressing 
upon  it  to  such  an  extent  that  solid  food  could  no  longer  find 
an  entrance  into  the  stomach,  and  after  five  months  of  pain- 
ful suffering,  which  he  bore  with  fortitude  and  resignation, 
he  peacefully  passed  away  on  the  10th  of  September,  1893. 
Just  before  death  he  was  awarded  the  Hanbury  Gold  Medal 
for  distinguished  services  and  for  original  research  in  the 
natural  history  and  chemistry  of  drugs. 

His  mind  was  imbued  with  a  love  for  science,  and  the 
characteristic  which  thoroughly  pervaded  all  of  Professor 
^laisch's  work  as  a  scientist,  was  the  persistent  search  for 
truth,  for  he  would  never  rest  until  he  was  satisfied  that 
the  utmost  effort  had  been  put  forth  to  eliminate  error,  and 
it  was  the  knowledge  of  this  trait  in  his  character  which 
gave  to  his  scientific  opinions  so  much  weight.  Outspoken 
often  to  bruscjueness  in  condemning  error,  his  mind  was 
always  open  to  conviction,  and  he  was  never  ashamed  to 
change  his  views  when  he  was  convinced  that  they  were 
not  correct. 

WILLIAM  MARRIOTT  CANBY. 

A\'illiam  Marriott  Canby  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  March  19, 1S31.  He  was  educated  mainly  by 
private  tutors  and  at  private  schools.  His  father  was  a 
successful  merchant  in  Philadelphia.  When  William  was 
five  years  of  age,  the  family  removed  to  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware, where  before  the  boy  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  had 
purchased  a  farm  on  the  Brandywine,  near  Chaddsford,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  had  an  early  predilection  for  botany,  but  could 
^ever  find  time  to  devote  himself  exclusively  to  it.    Several 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  279 

articles  have  been  written  on  insectivorous  plants,  notably 
those  on  Dionxa  in  the  Gardener's  Monthly,  on  Darlingtonia 
and  on  Drosera.  He  has  pursued  systematic  botany,  publish- 
ing many  species  and  describing  several  new  ones.  The 
main  work  of  Mr.  Canby's  life  has  been  the  accumulation  of 
a  splendid  herbarium  of  30,000  species,  now  in  possession  of 
the  College  of  Pharmacy,  of  Xew  York,  and  one  of  8000 
species,  mainly  from  the  United  States,  made  for  the  Society 
of  Natural  History  of  Delaware. 

Mr.  Canby  during  his  active  life  has  botanized  exten- 
sively in  almost  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
and  has  distributed  very  many  thousands  of  specimens. 
He  has  had  the  personal  friendship  of  such  botanists,  as 
Drs.  Gray,  Engelmann,  Sargent  and  others,  besides  having 
a  very  large  and  widespread  botanical  correspondence  in 
many  parts  of  the  world. 

In  1866  he  again  removed  to  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
where,  as  a  business  man,  he  has  been  engaged  as  Receiver 
and  President  of  the  Delaware  Western  Railroad  Company; 
President  of  the  Wilmington  Institute  (Library,  etc.),  of  the 
House  of  Friendless  and  Destitute  Children,  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Charities ;  President  of  the  Wilmington  Savings  Fund 
Society,  of  the  Delaware  Field  Club,  of  the  Delaware  Society 
of  Natural  History,  and  a  director  in  various  financial 
institutions. 

The  large  and  fine  herbarium  of  William  M. 
Canby  '^  was  purchased  by  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  deposited  in  their  building,  on 
Sixty-eighth  Street,  near  the  Boulevard.  Mr.  Canby's  early 
fondness  for  botanical  pursuits  found  a  welcome  opportunity 

*  1892.     2'orrey  Botanical  Bulletin,  XIX  :  336. 


280  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

for  gratification  when  a  bronchial  trouble  drove  him  to 
Florida  early  in  tlie  year  1858.  Coming  homeward  by  way 
of  Savannah  and  Aiken,  South  Carolina,  quite  a  large  and 
varied  collection  was  made.  This  was  supplemented  in 
August  by  a  month's  botanizing  in  the  mountains  of 
southwestern  Virginia,  especially  about  the  cliffs  of  New 
River  and  the  Salt  Pond  Mountain.  A  two  months'  visit 
to  Europe  next  opened  some  opportunities  for  exchange 
and  correspondence. 

Up  to  August,  1860,  efforts  were  mainly  confined  to 
ol)taining  specimens  of  the  flora  of  Delaware,  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  pine  barrens  of  New  Jersey.  At  the  date 
mentioned  an  extensive  journey  was  made  to  New  York, 
New  England  and  Canada.  The  collections  made  at  this 
time  enabled  him  to  exchange  extensively  with  botanists 
in  the  three  western  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois, 
as  well  as  with  some  in  New  England  and  New  York. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  Vasey,  Messrs.  Hall 
and  Bebb,  of  Illinois;  Watson,  Hope  and  Lapham,  of 
"Wisconsin;  SuUivant,  of  Ohio,  Dr.  Sartwell  and  Judge 
Clinton,  of  New  York,  and  several  in  New  England.  Pro- 
fessor Porter  and  Dr.  Traill  Green,  of  Pennsylvania,  were 
also  most  esteemed  correspondents. 

About  this  time,  also,  Mr.  Canby  became  acquainted 
Avith  Drs.  Gray,  Torre}"  and  Engelmann,  and  active  corre- 
spondence and  most  valuable  exchanges  were  the  result. 
The  immense  stores  of  foreign  botanical  treasures  which  at 
that  time  came  to  Dr.  Gray  were  freely  shared  with  Mr. 
Canby.  He  also  became  a  purchaser  of  all  valuable  sets  of 
American  plants  which  he  could  find.  The  first  of  these 
were  those  of  Dr.  Parrv  and   Messrs.  Hall  and  Harbour, 


WILLIAM    M.   CANBY. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  281 

made  around  Pike's  Peak  and  other  Colorado  mountains, 
and  the  plains  at  their  base.  He  also  purchased  from  the 
late  Charles  Wright  more  than  two  thousand  numbers  of 
his  Cuban  collection. 

At  the  death  of  Mr.  Sullivant  his  large  collection  was 
sent  to  Dr.  Gray,  and  through  his  kindness  the  whole  of  the 
foreign  collection  was  incorporated  in  the  Canby  Her- 
barium. This  was  particularly  rich  in  the  Spanish  and 
Orecian  collections  of  Boissier,  in  the  Siberian  and  Altai 
collections  of  Bunge  and  Ledebour,  in  the  Italian  collections 
of  Tenore  and  Gasparini,  and  in  a  large  and  valuable 
representation  of  the  plants  of  France  and  Germany.  He 
also  obtained  a  part  of  the  A^enezuela  collection  of  Fendler, 
and  a  goodly  number  of  that  of  ^hmdon  and  other  collec- 
tors in  the  Cordilleras  of  South  America.  He  also  received 
many  specimens  from  Schultes  Bipontinus,  Dr.  Schnor  and 
Xarl  Keck,  of  the  various  German  countries,  from  Professor 
Parlatore,  of  Italy,  Rene  Lenormand,  of  France,  and  many 
others. 

From  Professor  Lenormand  was  also  received  a  very 
fine  collection  of  the  peculiar  flora  of  New  Caledonia,  which 
had  been  placed  in  his  hands  for  study  and  distribution. 
While  on  the  subject  of  foreign  specimens  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  to  mention  the  many  thousands  of  species  received 
from  Baron  von  Mueller,  of  Australia,  Professor  MacOwen, 
of  South  xlfrica,  and  Dr.  Cheeseman,  of  New  Zealand. 

In  this  country  j\Ir.  Canby  has  exchanged  with  every 
one  he  could  find  who  made  good  specimens,  and  has 
purchased  all  the  collections  of  Curtiss,  Hall,  Bolander, 
Kellogg,  and  the  other  California  and  Oregon  botanists. 
Later  he  corresponded  with  Professor  Post,  of  Syria,  and 


282  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

received  almost  the  whole  of  his  excellent  collections  in 
Leljanon  and  the  Holy  Land.  Mr.  Ball  sent  him  many 
specimens  from  his  herbarium,  a  very  rich  one,  and  also 
a  suite  illustrating  his  flora  of  Morocco.  Besides  this,  he 
matle  an  excursion  to  Colorado  and  one  to  California,  which 
resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  several  new  species  and  many 
valuable  specimens.  In  1868  he  again  spent  a  winter  in 
Florida,  coming  north,  as  before,  by  way  of  western 
South  Carolina  and  Virginia. 

This  resulted  in  the  gathering  of  about  12,000  speci- 
mens, which  were  mostly  valuable  for  exchange,  as  well  as 
in  a  more  direct  way.  He  has  also,  either  alone  or  in 
company  with  Drs.  Gray  and  Engelmann,  Professor  Sargent 
and  Mr.  Redfield,  made  excursions  to  the  mountains- 
of  North  Carolina,  the  results  of  which  added  much  to  the 
value  of  his  herbarium.  He  also  purchased  the  fine  col- 
lection of  Fendler,  in  Trinidad  ;  of  Garber,  Sintenis,  and 
others  in  Porto  Rico ;  of  Garber,  in  South  Florida ;  of 
Pringle,  Palmer  and  Parry  in  Mexico  and  the  border  states^ 
and  has,  unusually  full  sets  of  the  various  government 
collections,  and  of  the  various  collectors  of  the  Sandwich 
Island  plants. 

The  very  extensive  collections  of  Dr.  Rusby  in  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico,  and  in  South  America,  and  that  of  ^Ir. 
Bang  in  the  latter  continent,  are  incorporated  in  the  her- 
barium, as  are  also  the  valuable  collections  of  Professor 
Greene,  of  Mrs.  Austin  and  Mrs.  Ames,  and  of  Professor 
Lemmon,  Dr.  Parry,  Messrs.  Jones,  Parish,  Orcutt,  Howell, 
Cusick,  Tweedy,  Suksdorf,  and  many  others  in  the  far  West 
and  South.  ^h)st  full  and  valuable  collections  were 
received  from  Dr.  :\Iellichamp,  of  South  Carolina,  illustra- 
ting Elliott's  flora. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPPIIA.  28^ 

Lastly,  as  one  of  the  botanists  of  Mr.  Villard's  North 
Trans-Continental  Survey,  a  fall  suite  of  all  the  collections 
made  by  it,  came  to  his  herbarium.  With  these,  also,  came 
the  collections  of  the  Canadian  Government  Survey,  and  a 
large  contribution  from  Professor  Macoun's  private  col- 
lection. From  this  account  it  will  be  seen  that  during* 
thirty  years  no  collection,  which  enterprise  and  money 
could  secure,  failed  to  become  represented  in  the  Canby 
Herbarium. 

RACHEL  L.  BODLEY. 

Rachel  L.  Bodley  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  December  7^ 
1831.  She  was  blessed  with  an  excellent  mother,  under  whose 
pious  and  devoted  care  her  early  education  was  received 
until  she  was  twelve  years  old.  Shortly  afterward  she 
entered  the  Wesley  an  Female  College  of  Cincinnati,  in  1844. 
Throughout  the  five  years'  college  course  she  acquitted  her- 
self with  honor,  and  in  1860  she  was  made  preceptor  in  the 
higher  collegiate  branches,  but  feeling  dissatisfied  with  her 
qualifications,  and  having  a  greater  work  in  view,  she  came 
to  this  city  and  entered  the  Polytechnic  College  as  a  special 
student  of  chemistry  and  physics.  After  two  years'  work 
here  she  returned  to  her  home,  and  was  made  Professor 
of  Natural  Science  in  the  Cincinnati  Female  Seminary. 
While  professor  in  this  seminary,  an  extensive  collection  of 
specimens  in  natural  history  was  bequeathed  to  it  by 
Joseph  Clark.  Professor  Bodley,  in  the  preface  to  the  cata- 
logue of  this  collection,  says :  "  In  the  midst  of  abounding 
wealth,  famine  was  inevitable  through  lack  of  classification." 
LTpon  the  task  of  making  this  catalogue,  she  entered  single- 
handed  with  a  resolute  will.  There  were  foreign  plants,  she 
writes,  British  ferns  and   mosses,  and    packages  of  plants 


'284  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

from  New  Zealand.  In  the  absence  of  any  reliable  manual 
which  embraced  the  countries  represented  by  these  plants, 
they  were  classified  as  far  as  orders  and  genera  with 
Lindley's  "  Vegetable  Kingdom "  as  a  guide.  The  mass 
was  carefully  opened,  the  plants  identified,  arranged  in 
labelled  sheets  of  uniform  size,  and  the  whole  placed 
in  a  convenient  herbarium  case  in  complete  readiness 
for  reference  and  study.  During  three  years  she  labored 
patiently  and  faithfully  upon  it  during  her  leisure  hours, 
and  it  was  only  in  her  fourth  summer  vacation  that  she 
finished  the  forty-eight  page  catalogue  of  plants,  which  made 
a  valuable  contribution  to  local  botanical  knowledge.  It 
must  have  been  a  valuable  part  of  the  laboratory  practice 
on  which  she  labored  with  such  earnestness,  and  the  practical 
results  were  shown  in  the  delightful  and  able  lectures 
which  she  delivered  on  cryptogamous  plants  of  land  and 
sea  during  the  spring  of  1867  and  1868. 

In  1865  she  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  chemistry  and 
toxicology  in  the  Woman's  Medical  College.  In  1874  she 
was  made  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  which  position  she  held 
until  the  time  of  her  death.  In  1873  Professor  Bodley  w^as 
elected  corresponding  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Society  of 
Natural  History ;  in  1876  she  was  elected  to  the  New  York 
Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the  same  year  to  the  American 
Chemical  Society  of  New  York  City. 

In  1879  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
was  conferred  upon  her  by  the  Woman's  Medical  College. 
She  w^as  elected  a  member  of  the  Franklin  Institute  in 
1880.  Professor  Bodley  was  deeply  interested  in  education, 
as  is  shown  by  her  election  in  February,  1882,  to  be  a 
School  Director  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Section  in  Philadelphia. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  285 

Her  papers  on  botany  were  mainly  contributed  to  the 
Philadelphia  Ledger,  where  a  series  on  sea-weeds,  collected  at 
Longport,  attracted  considerable  and  favorable  attention. 
Death  ended  her  scientific  labors  on  June  15,  1888. 

JOSIAH  H00PE5. 

Josiah  Hoopes  was  born  in  West  Chester,  Pennsyl- 
vania, November  9,  1832.  AVhen  three  years  of  age,  his 
parents  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  they  resided  for 
fifteen  years,  thence  returning  to  West  Chester,  where  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  a  resident  since.  In  early 
life  he  attended  one  of  the  grammar  schools  of  Philadelphia 
until  the  establishment  of  Friends'  Central  School,  a  noted 
institution  of  learning,  where  he  completed  his  course  of 
study.  Descending  from  the  same  emigrant  ancestor  as 
John  Bartram,  the  noted  botanist,  he  early  developed  a  love 
for  nature,  which  was  fostered  by  constant  intercourse  with 
the  three  distinguished  botanists.  Dr.  William  Darlington, 
David  Townsend  and  Joshua  Hoopes,  all  residents  of  West 
Chester.  To  the  enthusiasm  of  these  gentlemen  as  teachers, 
is  due  the  love  for  trees  and  plants  that  was  so  early 
developed  in  the  pupil,  so  that  after  a  practical  acquaint- 
ance with  the  flora  of  his  native  county,  his  field  of  study 
was  ambitiously  enlarged  to  embrace  more  especially  the 
arborescent  vegetation  of  the  world.  In  this  line  he  was 
particularly  drawn  to  the  Coniferss,  a  natural  order  opening 
up  to  the  student  of  botany  so  many  unsolved  problems  and 
interesting  lessons  in  plant-life,  that  the  love  of  his  earlier 
years  has  continued  with  increasing  interest  until  the  present 
time.  In  his  chosen  path  he  was  very  fortunate  in  pos- 
sessing  the  acquaintance  and  correspondence  of  the  late 


286  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  George  Engelmann,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry,  of 
Davenport,  Iowa,  as  well  as  the  critical  and  valued  assist- 
ance of  the  late  Dr.  Asa,  Gray,  of  Cambridge,  and  Dr.  Max- 
well T.  Masters,  of  London,  England.  Without  such  efh- 
cient  aid  it  would  liave  been  practically  impossible  for  him 
to  publish  his  unpretentious  little  work  on  the  "Cone- 
bearing  Plants  of  the  World,"  which  was  issued  in  1868, 
and  dedicated  to  his  life-long  friend  and  preceptor,  Dr. 
William  Darlington.* 

In  April,  1866,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  at  a  period  when 
the  only  active  botanists  connected  therewith,  numbered 
but  three  or  four.  Although  business  cares  and  distance 
from  the  city  prevented  him  from  taking  an  active  part  in 
assisting  to  re-arrange  the  extensive  herbarium  belonging 
to  the  institution,  nevertheless,  his  deep  interest  in  the 
work  prompted  him  to  render  his  assistance  whenever 
available,  and  the  large  and  valuable  collection  of  cones 
belonging  to  the  Academy  is  almost  exclusively  owing  to 
his  own  individual  exertions.  At  a  time  when  the  flora  of 
the  western  states  and  territories  was  but  imperfectly  under- 
stood, he,  in  company  with  congenial  botanical  friends, 
made  extensive  collections  in  Colorado,  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
as  well  as  on  the  Pacific  coast,  which  resulted  in  a  volum- 
inous herbarium,  now  in  charge  of  an  institution  of  learning 
where  the  younger  generation  of  students  may  reap  the 
benefit  of  his  life-work  in  the  field  of  botanical  science. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  written  but  few  strictly 
scientific  papers  for  publication,  as  the  aim  of  his  life  has 

*  I'he  Book  of  Evergreens.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Coniferce,  or  Cone- 
Bearing  Plants.  By  Josiah  Hoopes.  Illustrated.  New  York,  Orange,  Judd  &  Com- 
pany.   Octavo,  pp.  vi,  435. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  287 

been  rather  to  secure  the  attention  of  the  severely  practical 
student  of  horticulture,  and  induce  a  more  lively  interest 
in  those  who  rarely  look  beneath  the  surface  of  plant 
problems.  With  this  view,  he  was  for  many  years  connected 
with  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  his 
efforts  to  explain  some  of  the  mysteries  of  plant-life,  as 
recorded  in  its  columns,  may  have  borne  good  fruit. 

As  an  aid  to  a  better  acquaintance  with  the  resinous 
trees,  about  twenty  or  more  years  ago,  he  selected  a  suitable 
lot  of  ground,  wherein  was  tested  specimens  of  every  known 
species  and  well  marked  variety  of  this  important  order, 
this  being  perhaps  the  first  effort  of  the  kind  in  the  United 
States.  The  task  proved  far  greater  than  most  would  sup- 
pose, as  the  tender  and  uncertain  class  of  trees  required 
constant  attention  to  preserve  their  health,  and  although  at 
the  present  time,  a  large  number  have  succumbed  to  the 
vicissitudes  of  our  variable  climate,  there  still  remain  many 
very  beautiful  specimens  which  are  at  once  the  joy  and 
pride  of  their  owner.  His  love  for  trees  and  plants,  thus 
early  shown  in  life,  was  the  main  inducement  for  him  to 
engage  in  the  propagation  and  sale  of  these  commodities,  so 
that  after  forty-three  years  of  business  life,  as  a  nurseryman, 
he  feels  that  possibly  the  time  may  not  have  been  misspent, 
and  that  the  result  may  prove  a  more  enduring  and  bene- 
ficial monument  to  his  memory,  than  could  otherwise  have 
been  devised. 

Twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Josiah  Hoopes  planted  in  con- 
nection with  his  nursery  in  AVest  Chester,  a  pinetum  with 
a  view  of  testing  the  hardiness  and  adaptability  of  his 
favorite  plants  to  the  climate  of  the  Middle  States.  The 
collection,  which  was  made  as  complete  as  possible,  was 


288  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrHIA. 

planted  on  the  top  of  a  hill  somewhat  protected  by  neigh- 
boring plantations,  and  in  good,  strong,  well-drained  soiL 
No  special  care  has  been  given  to  the  plants,  and  those 
which  remain  are  standing  in  a  thick  sod  of  grass. 

A  writer  in  Garden  and  Forest,  November  1,  1893,  (VI  : 
458),  says  of  the  pinetum :  "  Before  describing  the  trees  that 
are  left  standing,  it  will  be  well  to  explain  that  all  the 
species  and  varieties  of  Cupressus  have  disappeared  entirely, 
as  have  most  of  the  South  European,  Indian,  Mexic-an, 
and  South  American  species  and  their  varieties.  With  a 
few  exceptions,  all  the  conifers  of  the  Pacific  States  of  North 
America  have  succumbed  to  our  cold  winters  or  moist 
summers.  Few  of  the  pines  which  were  planted  twenty 
years  ago  are  left.  The  European  Pinus  sylvestris,  P. 
Austriaca  and  P.  Laricio  are  alive,  but  have  passed  the 
period  of  their  greatest  beauty  and  show  signs  of  premature 
decay.  Pinus  Strobus  nivea  has  grown  into  a  compact  and 
handsome  plant,  but  the  other  forms  of  the  white-pine  have 
disappeared,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  attacks  of  a  new  enemy, 
which,  Mr.  Hoopes  informs  me,  has  destroyed  many  of  the 
white-pines  in  West  Chester.  P.  monticola,  its  western 
representative,  has  grown  into  a  tall,  thin  specimen,  some 
twenty  feet  high,  showing  the  thin,  lanky  habit  of  this  tree 
in  cultivation,  which  is,  however,  one  of  the  hardiest  of  the 
western  pines  here  at  the  east,  although  as  an  ornamental 
tree  it  cannot  be  compared  with  the  native  white-pine.  Of 
the  other  white-pines,  the  sugar-pine,  P.  Lamhertiana,  of 
California,  and  P.  excelsa,  of  the  Himalayas  have  disap- 
peared, but  the  collection  still  boasts,  in  perfect  health 
and  beauty,  one  of  the  best  specimens  of  P.  Pence,  of 
southeastern  Europe,  which  can  be  found  in  cultivation — a 


thp:  botanists  of  Philadelphia.  289 

narrow,  compact  pyramid  fifteen  feet  high,  and  clothed 
with  foliage  to  the  ground.  P.  densiflora,  easily  distin- 
guished hy  the  wdiite  terminal  buds,  is  eighteen  feet  high, 
wide-branched  and  covered  with  cones.  As  an  ornamental 
tree  it  is  no  better  than  the  Austrian  pine,  and  is  inferior  to 
our  native  red-pine,  P.  resinom,  our  northern  pitch- 
pine  (P.  rig  Ida),  wdiich  wo  looked  for  in  vain.  They 
appear  to  have  succumbed,  as  have  the  following  American 
species :  P.  palitstris,  P.  Sabinlaaa,  P.  flexilis,  P.  pungens,  P. 
inops  and  P.  Taeda,  while  P.  Jcoraiensis,  of  Corea,  and  P. 
Bungeana,  of  northern  China,  have  grown  into  remarkable 
specimens. 

"  Several  firs  have  grow^n  into  handsome  trees,  although 
it  should  be  remembered  that  a  fir  twenty  years  old  is  at 
its  best  as  an  ornamental  tree,  and  that  with  greater  age  it 
too  often  grows  thin  in  the  lower  branches  and  loses  much 
of  the  perfection  of  form  which  makes  some  young  firs 
beautiful  objects.  To  the  lover  of  rare  trees  the  most  inter- 
esting fir  in  the  collection  is  a  plant  of  Abies  amabilis,  of 
the  Cascade  Mountains  of  Oregon  and  Washington.  This 
plant  has  evidently  had  a  hard  time  in  getting  a  start,  but 
now  looks  strong  and  vigorous,  and  is  about  six  feet  high. 
Two  or  three  handsome  specimens  of  the  white-fir  of 
the  Sierras,  the  Abies  concolor  of  botanists,  and  in  gardens 
variously  called  A.  Lowiana,  A.  lasiocarpa,  and  ^1.  Parsonsiano, 
bear  witness  to  the  beauty  and  hardiness  of  this  noble  tree, 
which  is  the  only  Pacific  Coast  fir  which  is  really  satis- 
factory in  the  eastern  states.  A.  Nordmanniana,  which  has 
grown  taller  than  any  other  fir  in  the  collection,  appears  to 
be  suffering  from  an  overproduction  of  cones,  and,  more- 
over, is  getting  thin  near  the  ground,  showing  tliat  in  our 


200  TIIK     BUTANlJSTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

eliiiiate  it  is  only  in  early  age  tliat  this  tree  is  usually  con- 
sidered very  hardy  or  dcsiral>le,  here,  is  in  perfect  condition 
and  great  l)eauty,  and  so  are  good  specimens  of  A. 
apJialonica,  A.  cilicia,  one  of  the  best  of  all  firs  in  our 
climate,  and  ^1.  ApolUnis.  A  remarkably  slender  and 
compact  pyramidal  form  of  the  fir  of  Europe,  A.  pedhiaia, 
is  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  plants  in  the  collection. 

"  Among  the  spruces,  Picea  orientalis  takes  the  lead  in 
beauty  and  vigor.  This  tree,  so  far  as  is  possible  to  judge 
at  this  time,  is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  satisfactory 
of  all  the  exotic  conifers  which  have  been  brought  into  our 
gardens.  The  Colorado  spruce,  P.  pungens  and  P.  Engel- 
mcuiiii,  are  in  good  condition ;  indeed,  the  hardiness  and 
vigor  of  these  two  trees  seem  able  to  resist  any  sort  of 
climate  or  soil  that  can  be  found  in  the  northern  or  middle 
states.  The  tide- water  spruce,  of  the  nortli-west  coast,  P. 
sitcJiOisis,  is  ragged  and  unsatisf^ictory,  and  appears  to  suffer 
from  the  cold  of  the  Pennsylvania  winters,  and  the  long, 
hot,  dry  summers.  On  the  other  hand,  P.  SmitJimita,  of  the 
Himalayas,  is  in  excellent  condition,  and  promises  to  grow 
into  a  large  and  beautiful  tree.  A  remarkably  fine  plant  of 
what  is  known  as  Whale's  Norway  spruce,  a  pendulous- 
branched  sport  of  the  Norway  spruce,  which  originated 
many  years  ago  near  Boston,  will  interest  tliose  who  care  for 
trees  of  monstrous  form. 

"There  are  no  remarkable  specimens  of  Juniperus  in 
the  collection,  and  the  Cedars  have  all  gone,  although  in  a 
neighboring  garden  there  is  a  good  plant  of  the  Lebanon 
variety.  There  is  a  healthy  little  specimen  of  the  western 
mountain  hemlock,  Tsuga  Pattoniann.  There  is  a  fair,  but 
not  a  remarkable  specimen  of  the  Japanese  Siadopitys,  and 


TPIE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  291 

large  plants  of  the  Japanese  Retinosporas  {Cliaynsecyparis 
obiusa  and  C.  pisifera),  but  none  of  the  juvenile  forms  of 
these  two  trees  liave  attained  any  size  or  beauty." 

Enough,  perhaps,  has  been  said  to  show  the  value 
of  this  pinetuni  as  an  object  lesson  to  planters  of  coniferous 
trees. 

BENJAMIN  HERITAGE. 

Benjamin  Heritage  was  born  about  two  miles  from 
Mickleton,  Greenwich  Township,  New  Jersey,  August  18, 
1833.  He  w^as  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  pursued 
farming  near  Mickleton  until  1885.  All  of  his  leisure  time 
has  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  botany  and  the  collection 
of  plants.  His  herbarium  is  noted  for  the  beauty  of  the 
specimens  and  for  its  richness  in  the  rare  and  local  plants  of 
New  Jersey.  Mr.  Heritage  contributed  numerous  specimens 
of  weeds  to  the  "  Two  Centuries  of  American  Weeds,"  pre- 
pared and  issued  by  Professor  Byron  Halstead,  of  Rutger's 
College.  Mr.  Heritage  is  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia 
Botanical  Club,  and  is  active  in  its  welfare.  'His  most 
important  paper  is  entitled,  '^  Preliminary  Notes  on  Nelum- 
bium  luteum."  * 

WILLIAM  HERBST. 

Dr.  William  Herbst  was  born  September  24,  1833,  near 
the  City  of  Reading,  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania.  His 
father  was  Dr.  Frederick  William  Herbst,  who  emigrated 
from  Saxony,  Germany,  in  the  year  of  1825. 

While  a  mere  youth,  he  used  to  accompany  his  flither 
in  his  daily  visits  to  the  sick  in  Berks  County,  where  the 
son^stji^cquired  a  taste  for  botany.     While  the  father  was 

*  Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXH  :  2(>6. 


292  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

engaged  with  his  patients,  his  son  would  gather  specimens. 
He  was  quite  foscinated  with  the  fanciful  names  given  to 
the  specimens,  which  he  got  out  of  an  old  German  botany. 
In  those  days  it  was  difficult  to  procure  good  literature  on  the 
subject  of  botany.  AVhen  a  mere  youth,  fifty  years  ago,  he 
heard  of  a  botanical  work  by  a  Mrs.  Lincoln.  He  tried  to  get 
a  copy  in  Reading,  but  none  could  be  had,  so  he  was  obliged  to 
send  to  Philadelphia.  Receiving  it,  he  made  good  use  of 
it,  prizing  it  more  than  other  books. 

The  common  schools  in  those  days  did  not  satisfy  his 
father,  so  the  boy  was  sent  to  the  Xazareth  Moravian 
Seminary,  to  Freemont  Seminary  at  Norristown,  and  finally 
to  Williston  Seminary,  East  Hampton,  Massachusetts.  At 
the  latter  place  his  wish  was  fully  gratified  by  being  allowed 
to  study  botany,  under  Dr.  Edward  Hitchcock,  who  recom- 
mended the  new  book  on  botany  (Wood's  first  edition). 
He  explored  fields,  meadows,  and  woods  in  the  vicinity 
of  East  Hampton  in  search  of  specimens,  which  were 
arranged  in  an  herbarium,  sometimes  neglecting  his  other 
studies  in  pursuit  of  his  favorite  science. 

After  returning  home  from  AVilliston  Seminary,  he 
commenced  to  read  medicine,  with  his  father  as  preceptor, 
during  which  period  he  made  frequent  excursions  among 
the  hills  and  valleys  of  Berks.  He  remembers,  with 
pleasure,  the  excursions  taken  with  the  late  Dr.  John  P. 
Heister,  of  Reading,  an  enthusiastic  botanist. 

After  reading  medicine  at  home  he  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1855,  locating 
in  the  small  but  ancient  village  of  Trexlertown,  Lehigh 
County,  Pennsylvania. 

The  study  of  the  flora  of  Lehigh  County  has,  since  his 


En^f-ir^AHRvtc" 


/^^^^^^^^^^.^  (^A^^-^^>^ 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  293 

location  at  Trexlertown,  received  his  attention  for  the  last 
forty  years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  occupied  the  chair 
of  botany  at  Muhlenberg  College,  Pennsylvania.  Of  late 
years  he  has  made  fungi  a  special  study,  especially  the 
Basidiomycetes,  of  which  he  has  a  large  collection. 

His  principal  correspondent  is  Professor  Charles  H. 
Peck,  of  Albany,  New  York,  who,  under  date  of  August 
25,  1894,  acknowledges  the  discovery  of  a  new  species  in 
the  following: 

"  That  was  a  splendid  fungus  you  sent  me.  It  is  an 
undescribed  species  of  Sparassis.  I  propose  to  name  it, 
with  your  consent,  Sparassis  Herbstii,  sp.  nov." 

He  also  found  the  only  specimens  of  the  fungus 
Queletia  mirabilis  Fr.  ever  procured  in  this  country,  and 
Professor  Peck  wrote,  having  seen  the  plant : 

"  Thanks  for  your  kind  offer  to  send  me  some  more 
specimens  of  Queletia  mirabilis  Fr.  So  far  you  are  the 
only  one  to  find  it  in  this  country." 

In  Professor  Peck's  report  of  1895  of  "  New  Fungi " 
are  found  four  new  species  which  this  collector  added  to 
the  list. 

His  published  articles  are  very  few,  published  in  an 
Allentown  local  paper  as  follows :  "  The  '*  Selfish  Flower  " — 
Gentiana  Andrewsii :  ''Welcome  Spring  Flowers;"  "Corn 
Smut  and  Superstition  ;  "    "  Mushroons  or  Toadstools." 

GEORGE  MACLOSKIE. 

George  Macloskie  *  was  born  at  Castledown,  County 
Derry,  Ireland,  September  14,  1834.  He  attended  Queen's 
College,  Belfast,  where  he  received  a  gold  medal  in 
natural  science  in  1857,  and  in  physical  science  in  1858. 

*See  Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography,  from  which  the  main 
facts  are  taken. 


294  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Subsequently  having  studied  theology,  he  became  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  and  was  installed  over  the  Parish  of  Bally- 
goney  during  the  period  of  ISGl  to  1873.  From  1873  to  1875 
he  was  the  Secretary  of  the  Bible  and  Colportage  Society. 
When  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  biology  in  Princeton  in 
1874,  where  he  has  been  since.  Professor  Macloskie  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  D.  Sc.  from  Queen's  University 
and  that  of  LL.  D.  from  London  University,  where,  in 
1871,  he  received  a  gold  medal  for  special  excellence  in  a 
law  examination.  He  is  a  member  of  several  scientific 
societies,  and  is  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science.  His  writings,  include  papers 
on  entomology  and  on  botany,  publislied  in  the  American 
Katuralist  and  in  Psyche,  and  he  has  published  a  book  on 
"  Elementary  Botany "  (New  York,  1883,  second  edition 
1887).  A  few  of  his  most  important  publications  have  been 
printed  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  ''Veget- 
able Spiralism,"  XXII :  4G5  ;  "  Observations  on  Antidromy,'' 
XXIII:  202;  "Further  Observations  on  Antidromy," 
XXIII:  240;  "  Internal  Antidromy,"  XXIII :  536 ;  "  Heat  of 
Imbibition  by  Seeds,"  XXV :  272. 

J.  BERNARD  BRINTON. 

Dr.  J.  Bernard  Brinton  '^-  was  born  near  Waynesburg, 
Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  August  10,  1835.  His 
parents  belonged  to  the  religious  Society  of  Friends.  His 
early  education  was  received  at  this  place,  and  subsequently 
at  the  High  School  in  Philadelphia,  during  the  short 
residence  of  the  family  in  that  city,  previous  to  removal  to 
a  farm  in   Maryland,  in   1848.     He   began   the   study   of 


*1S95.    Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXII :  March,  3893,  with  portrait. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  295 

medicine  in  1857,  and  matriculated  at  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  from  wliieh  school  he  was  graduated  on  March 
25,  1859. 

During  his  college  course,  the  attention  of  Professor 
Samuel  D.  Gross  was  attracted  to  him  by  the  assiduit}'  dis- 
played in  his  studies,  and  furthermore  by  the  successful 
management  of  an  aneurism  case  treated  by  digital  com- 
pression. As  a  result  he  was  appointed  Chief  of  the  Surgical 
Clinic  soon  after  graduation.  He  lectured  on  practical 
anatomy  at  the  Philadelphia  School  of  Anatomy  and 
Operative  Surgery,  and  also  conducted  a  quiz  on  materia 
medica.  From  his  graduation  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  was  an  active  practitioner  of  medicine,  and  in 
1860  was  a  delegate  to  the  American  Medical  Association, 
held  in  Xew  Haven,  Connecticut. 

But  the  fire  of  patriotism  proved  too  strong  for  the 
peaceful  tenets  of  his  fathers,  and  led  him  early  in  the  war 
to  apply  for  the  position  of  assistant  surgeon  in  the  regular 
army.  He  successfully  passed  the  rigorous  examination, 
and  his  commission  was  dated  April  1(3,  18(32,  signed  by 
the  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  Edwin  ^1.  Stanton, 
Secretary  of  War. 

On  September  14,  1863,  he  was  appointed  Medical 
Purveyor  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  he  retained  that 
position  to  the  close  of  the  war.  During  his  entire  army 
life  he  continued  his  botanical  studies  and  collection  of 
plants.  At  this  time  it  was  his  good  fortune  to  meet 
another  officer  equally  interested  in  the  study  of  the  same 
science,  Major-General  G.  K.  Warren.  A  wayside  flower 
served  as  a  means  of  introducing  these  officers,  and  tlio 
occasion  of  that  meeting  was  a    favorite    reminiscence   of 


296  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Brinton.  The  collections  he  made  during  the  A^irginia 
campaign  were  captured  hy  the  Confederate,  Colonel  Mosby, 
at  Belle  Plain,  May  12,  18(34,  and  burned  with  the  supply 
wagons.  Dr.  Brinton,  himself,  barely  escaped  capture.  On 
May  13,  1865,  he  was  brevetted  Captain  and  Major  for 
o-allant  and  meritorious  services,  and  on  November  lOth,  of 
the  same  year,  he  resigned  from  the  army.  His  services  to 
the  Union  were  marked  by  his  usual  application  and 
devotion  to  duty,  and  his  report  at  the  close  of  his  term  of 
office  was  considered  a  remarkably  accurate  record  for  one 
handling  a  vast  amount  of  material  under  such  turbulent 
conditions. 

Returning  to  Philadelphia,  he  continued  m  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  for  a  few  years.  Desiring  more  leisure  time 
for  the  study  of  his  chosen  science,  he  abandoned  medicine 
and  engaged  in  various  manufacturing  pursuits.  On 
October  29,  1878,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  and  in  the  same  year  he  connected 
himself  with  the  Botanical  Section  of  that  institution. 
He  was  faithful  in  attendance  and  contributed  many  speci- 
mens, notes,  and  verbal  communications.  He  was  an  inde- 
fatio^able  collector,  and  made  numerous  excursions  in  Penn- 
sylvania  and  neighboring  states.  He  made  a  special 
study  of  the  peculiar  flora  of  the  pine  barrens  of  New 
Jersey,  in  which  he  was  recognized  as  an  authority.  He 
acceptably  tilled  numerous  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Councillors.  During 
the  session  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science  in  Philadelphia,  in  1884,  he  was  elected  a 
member,  and  he  acted  as  guide  to  an  excursion  of  visiting 
botanists  to  the  pine  barren  region  of  New  Jersey. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  297 

Only  the  ardent  lovers  of  nature  can  understand  his 
feelings  when,  on  that  occasion  he  showed  Dr.  Asa  Gray 
and  Mr.  Carruthers,  President  of  the  Linna3an  Society,  the 
secluded  Schizsca  pusilla  Pursh.  Nor  can  the  joy  of  those 
gentlemen  be  expressed  when  their  eyes  rested  on  that 
quaint  fern  form  growing  wild  for  the  first  time. 

He  was  elected  to  active  membership  in  the  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  of  New  York,  January,  1891.  Although 
publishing  but  little  on  botanical  subjects,  he  corresponded 
with  most  of  the  botanical  authorities  in  America  and  made 
numerous  exchanges.  Perhaps  his  most  important  labor 
consisted  in  inducing  the  young  to  study  botany,  and  his 
greatest  pleasure  seemed  to  be  in  imparting  to  others,  either 
in  the  field  or  in  his  "  den,"  a  portion  of  his  rich  store  of 
knowledge.  Chiefly  with  this  object  in  view,  he  founded 
the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  in  December,  1892,  of 
which  he  was  President  from  its  organization  until  the 
time  of  his  decease. 

Dr.  Brinton  was  married  on  November  13,  1862,  to 
Salhe  W.  Clemens,  of  Philadelphia.  A  married  daughter 
and  two  sons  survived  him.  As  a  source  of  consolation, 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  he  engaged  more  earnestly  in 
botanical  studies. 

Dr.  Brinton  was  noted  for  the  accurac}^  of  his  observa- 
tions in  field  excursions,  in  which  he  was  generally  recog- 
nized as  the  leader  and  guide.  His  methods  were  always 
painstaking  and  careful,  and  in  his  aim  to  secure  choice 
specimens,  no  trouble,  labor  nor  expense  was  too  great. 
His  botanical  specimens  were  preserved  in  the  most 
approved  and  artistic  style  and  identified  with  the  most 
scrupulous  care.     He  had  a  marvelous  memorv  for  names 


298  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

and  characters.  This  gift  enabled  him  to  recognize  speci- 
mens wliich  he  had  not  met  Avith  for  many  years.  He 
personally  constructed  in  the  most  skillful  manner  his 
herbarium  cases,  tables,  stands,  microscopical  cabinets,  etc., 
with  a  degree  of  perfection  rarely  excelled  by  expert 
artisans.  AVhile  so  ardently  devoted  to  nature  in  her 
various  manifestations,  Dr.  Brinton  did  not  overlook  the 
advantages  of  linguistic  attainments.  In  his  earlier  life 
much  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  German,  in 
which  language  he  conversed  fluently.  He  was  also  profi- 
cient in  Latin  and  French. 

Physically,  Dr.  Brinton  seemed  to  embody  the  highest 
expression  of  perfect  manhood.  His  commanding  presence 
and  graceful  bearing  stamped  him  at  once  as  a  leader.  His 
powerful  frame  enabled  him  to  endure  and  overcome  great 
hardship  and  fatigue. 

The  botanical  community  in  which  he  moved  met 
with  a  severe  loss  in  his  sudden  death  on  December  6,  1894. 

MARY  TREAT. 

^Irs.  Mary  Treat,  an  American  naturalist,  whose  ori- 
ginal researches  liave  been  gratefully  acknowledged  by 
scientists  at  home  and  abroad,  was  l:)orn  in  1835,  in  Tomp- 
kins County,  New  York ;  but  for  the  past  twenty-seven 
years  has  made  her  home  in  Vineland,  New  Jersey.  She 
was  married,  in  18G1,  to  Dr.  Joseph  Treat,  who  died  in 
1879. 

She  began  her  studies  at  a  time  when  text-books  on 
the  natural  sciences  were  rare,  and  pursued  them  mainly 
by  self-directed  investigations  in  the  field  of  nature, 
receiving  encouragement  and  assistance  by  correspondence 


TPIE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  299 

with  such  men  as  Darwin,  Forel,  Mayer,  Asa  Gray,  and 
others,  who  in  turn  have  frequently  expressed  their  ol:)liga- 
tions  to  her. 

Endowed  by  nature  Avith  a  spirit  of  enduring  patience, 
and  developing  a  deep  enthusiasm  for  her  life-work,  she 
joyfully  devoted  to  it  countless  hours  of  silent  watching  in 
the  heat  of  summer  suns,  sittting  or  standing  statue-like  in 
her  "  Insect  Menagerie,"  or  finding  her  delight  in  bending 
over  the  microscope  while  others  slept. 

In  botany,  in  addition  to  a  close  and  exhaustive  study 
of  the  flora  of  New  Jersey  and  of  Florida,  Mrs.  Treat  has 
made  the  insectivorous  plants  her  special  study,  and  has 
given  to  them  prolonged  investigation,  visiting  Florida  for 
this  purpose  in  1876,  1877  and  1878.  The  results  of  her 
researches  in  regard  to  the  structure  and  habits  of  Droseray. 
Diondsa,  Plnguiciila,  Sarracenia,  and  especially  of  Utricularia 
have  been  valuable  additions  to  science. 

In  her  "  Home  Studies  in  Nature  "  she  criticised  Dar- 
win's statement  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  latter  plant 
entraps  its  victims ;  to  which  Darwin  replied  :  "  It  is  pretty 
clear  that  I  am  quite  wrong,"  and  accepted  her  conclusion. 
In  his  work  on  "  Insectivorous  Plants,"  he  again  pays 
a  just  tribute  to  her  unusual  powers  of  careful  observation, 
saying  (page  281) :  "  Perhaps  the  blades  of  vigorous  plants 
would  bend  over  captured  insects,  and  Dr.  Canby  informs 
me  that  this  is  the  case ;  but  the  movement  cannot  be 
strongly  pronounced,  as  it  was  not  observed  by  Mrs.  Treat." 

The  following  incident  also  illustrates  the  prevision 
with  which  she  set  forth  some  of  the  facts  regarding  the 
peculiar  behavior  of  insects  under  the  allurements  ot^ 
Sarracenia    mriolaris,    and    which    she    styled   a    kind    of 


300  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

"  demoralization  ''  or  ''  drunkenness."  She  embodied  her 
conclusions  in  a  chapter  of  one  of  her  books  about  to  be 
pul)hshed  in  1873.  Professor  Gray  wished  to  dissuade  her 
from  the  puljlication  of  these  statements,  saying  :  "  You 
know  none  of  the  botanists  agree  with  you."  "  I  cannot 
help  it,"  she  replied.  "  It  must  go  in,  for  I  have  seen  it  for 
myself,  and  I  know  it  is  so."  And  now,  after  nearly  twenty 
years,  her  statements  and  discoveries  in  this  especial  line  are 
corroborated  by  the  botanists  of  to-day,  and  described  in 
words  almost  identical  with  her  own,  written  so  many 
years  ago. 

Her  long  continued  and  productive  studies  of  spiders, 
ants,  and  other  insects  and  of  birds,  are  scarcely  less 
important  in  their  results,  as  is  shown  by  her  valuable  con- 
tributions to  periodicals  and  the  annals  of  scientific  societies 
throughout  a  period  of  over  twenty-five  years. 

Although  Mrs.  Treat's  name  is  too  closely  connected 
with  imperishable  work  to  be  forgotten,  and  is  commemo- 
Tated  in  the  nomenclature  of  various  plants  and  insects 
which  have  either  been  named  in  her  honor  by  the  compli- 
ment of  scientific  men,  or  because  their  discovery  was 
accredited  to  her,  yet  it  will  ever  be  most  honored  by  those 
who  have  known  her  personally  in  more  intimate  relation- 
ship. Her  most  prominent  characteristic  is  a  modesty  so 
shrinking  as  to  make  any  public  recognition  of  her  services 
painful  to  her,  while  her  joyous  enthusiasm  for  her  chosen 
life-work  is  so  great  and  so  contagious  that  her  home  is 
always  a  centre  of  attraction,  where  are  welcomed  all  who 
care  to  learn  even  the  alphabet  of  her  beloved  book  of 
nature,  and  where  she  dispenses  the  bounty  of  her  gifts  and 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  301 

attainments  with  a  modest  lavishness  and  an  unwearied 
patience,  which  appears  to  be  to  her  their  own  reward.* 

Besides  frequent  contributions  to  Garden  and  Forest y 
mentioned  below,  she  has  published,  in  book-form,  and  in  a 
style  at  once  simple,  polished  and  technically  exact,  the 
following  works  :  "  Home  Studies  in  Nature  "  ;  "  Chapters 
on  xlnts  "  ;  "  Injurious  Insects  of  the  Farm  and  Garden  ;  '^ 
"  My  Garden  Pets,"  and  "  Through  a  Microscope." 

Mrs.  Treat  has  described  the  various  phases  of  plant 
life  as  they  have  apjDeared  in  the  pine  barrens  of  southern 
New  Jersey  in  Garden  and  Forest : 

1.  "  Botanical  Names,"  III  :  206. 

2.  "The  Wild  Garden, "  III :  442  . 

3.  "September  in  the  Pines,"  III :  463. 

4.  "  October  in  the  Pines,"  III  ;  524. 

5.  "Ornamental  Fruits  in  the  Pines,"  III :  534. 

6.  "  Evergreens  in  the  New  Jersey  Pine  Region,"  III  :  546. 

7.  " The  Pines  at  Christmas  Time,"  IV  :  14. 

8.  "Insect  Enemies  of  the  Pitch  Pine,"  IV  :  62. 

9.  "How  to  make  a  Wild  Garden,"  IV  :  188. 

10.  "  Notes  from  a  Wild  Garden,"  IV  :  351. 

11.  "  Spring  in  the  New  Jersey  Pines,"  V  :  220. 

12.  "  Weeds  in  Southern  New  Jersey,"  V  :  292. 

13.  "Water-plants  in  Southern  New  Jersey,"  V  :  363. 

14.  "Climbing  Plants  in  the  Pines,"  V  :  400. 

15.  "  Edible  Fruits  in  the  Pines,"  V  :  435. 

16.  "Late  Autumn  in  the  Pines,"  V  :  567. 

17.  "Native  Plants  for  Winter  Decoration,"  VI  :  141. 

18.  "Summer  in  the  Pines,"  VI :  314. 

19.  "  Late  Summer  in  the  Pines,"  VI :  382. 

20.  "  The  Pines  in  October,"  VI  :  443. 

21.  "Winter-blooming  Plants  in  the  Pines,"  VII  :  102. 


*  The   facts  for  this  sketch  were  furnished  by  one  of  Mrs.  Treat's  pupils, 
M.  E.  Hall. 


302  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

22.  ''  March  in  the  Piues,"  YII :  142. 

23.  "A  New  Jersey  Garden  in  Spring,"  VII  :  212. 

24.  "  Early  June  in  the  Pines,"  VII  :  243. 

25.  "  Wayside  Plants  in  the  Piues,"  VII  :  302. 

26.  "November  in  a  New  Jei-sey  Garden,"  VII :  458. 

27.  "  Late  Autumn  in  the  Pines,"  VII  :  482. 

28.  "Christmas  in  the  Pines,"  VIII  :  3. 

29.  "  Troublesome  Grasses  in  Southern  New  Jersey,"  VIII  :  103. 

30.  "In  the  Pines,"  VIII  :  203. 

31.  "Early  Summer  in  the  Pines,"  VIII  :  262. 

32.  "The  Pines  in  a  Dry  Summer,"  VIII  :  362. 

33.  "  Autumn  Color  in  the  Pines,"  VIII  :  452. 

34.  "The  Heaths  among  the  Pines  in  Early  Winter,"  VIII  :  492. 

35.  "The  Pines  in  August,"  IX  :  332. 

36.  "  Early  Autumn  in  the  Pines,"  IX  :  412. 

37.  "  Weeds  in  Southern  New  Jersey,"  X  :  313. 

38.  "Cruelty  of  Asclepias,"  X  :  341. 

39.  "  Autumn  Flowers  in  the  Pines,"  X:  411. 

40.  "  Autumn  Fruits  in  the  Piues,"  X  :  471. 

ABRAHAM  PASCAL  GARBER. 

Abraham  Pascal  Garber  *  was  born  at  Columbia,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1888.  He  took  the  degree  of  A.  B.  at  Lafayette 
College  where  he  acquired  a  taste  for  botany,  and  later 
graduated  from  the  Medical  School  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Garber  practiced  medicine  for  a  short 
time  in  Pittsburg,  but  was  obliged  to  seek  a  milder  climate 
on  account  of  ill-health.  He  passed  several  winters  in 
Southern  Florida,  where  he  found  many  new  species  of 
plants,  as  Eugenia  Garheri,  Liatris  Garberi,  Hahenaria  Garheri, 
which  perpetuate  his  memory.  He  also  discovered  that 
a  number  of  West  Indian  trees  were  present  in  Florida. 
One  plant  especially,  Xanthoxylum  emarginatum,  was  dis- 

*  Sargent.    iSilva  of  North  America,  1 :  6G. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  303 

covered  by  him  on  an  island  in  Biscayne  Bay  in  1S77, 
growing  as  a  small  slirub,  and  has  never  been  collected 
since.  Dr.  Garber  made  an  excursion  to  Puerto  Rico  in 
1880.  Garber ia  of  a  single  species,  a  Florida  shrub  with 
Liatris-like  flowers,  commemorate  Dr.  Garber's  service  to 
American  botany. 

He  contrilKited  to  the  Botanical  Gazette  the  followinsr 

o 

papers : 

1.  ''  Xotes  on  Tillandsia,"  II :  59. 

2.  "  Botanical  Rambles  in  East  Florida,"  II  :  TO,  82. 

3.  "Botanical  Rambles  in  Middle  Florida,"  II :  102. 

4.  "Ferns  in  South  Florida,"  III-IY  :  82. 

CHARLES  SCHAFFER. 

Charles  Schaffer,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Feln-uary  4,  1838.  His  father,  Charles  Schaffer,  was  a 
wholesale  druggist  in  tlie  vicinity  Sixth  and  Market  Street ; 
his  mother  was  Priscilla  Morgan,  daughter  of  Stacy  K. 
Potts,  an  old  Philadelphia  merchant.  His  early  education 
was  received  at  the  hands  of  a  private  tutor  who  prepared 
him  for  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  graduated 
in  medicine  in  March,  1859.  After  graduation  he  spent  a 
short  time  in  volunteer  service  in  the  Chester  Hospital  in 
1863,  which  position  he  was  obliged  to  leave  on  account  of 
illness.  He  was  also  attending  physician  at  the  Mission 
Hospital  and  Dispensatory  from  1874  to  1880,  when  it 
closed.  Dr.  Schaffer  has  long  been  interested  in  botany, 
and  is  perfectly  familiar  with  the  flora  of  Philadelphia  and 
vicinage.  As  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  County  Medical 
Society,  Fellow  of  the  College  of  Physicans  of  Philadelphia, 
Fellow  of  the  Geological  Society  of  America,  member  of  the 


304  TPIE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  of  tlie  Chester  County 
Historical  Society,  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
he  has  had  abundant  opportunity  to  cultivate  science,  and 
especially  his  favorite  science,  botany. 

AUSTIN  CRAIG  APGAR. 

Austin  Craig  Apgar  was  born  at  Peapack,  Somerset 
County,  New  York,  August  4,  1838.  His  career  in  science 
began  at  the  State  Normal  School  of  New  Jersey,  where  he 
has  taught  botany  and  zoology  from  1866  to  1899.  When 
Professor  L.  Agassiz  opened  the  summer  school  at  Penikese, 
Massachusetts,  in  1873  and  1874,  Professor  Apgar  availed 
liimself  of  this  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  such 
men  as  Professors  Agassiz,  Burt  G.  Wilder,  A.  S.  Packard, 
Edward  S.  Morse  and  David  S.  Jordan.  Professor  Apgar 
has  taught  botany  in  the  summer  schools  at  Glen  Falls, 
New  York  ;  Asbury  Park,  New  Jersey ;  Fort  Worth,  Texas  ; 
Bedford  City  and  Salem,  Virginia,  and  Chicago,  Illinois. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  his  books  and  papers  on  botany : 

' '  Plant  Analysis. ' '     1874. 

"Pocket  Key  of  Trees."     1891. 

"  Trees  of  the  Northern  United  States."     1892. 

"Extraordinary  Vitality  of  a  Girdled  Limh.^^— Journal  of  the  Trenton 
Natural  Historical  Soeietij,  January,  1889. 

"Study  of  Plant  Life  in  Our  Schools." — Sixteenth  Annual  II ejwrt  of 
the  [New  Jersey']  State  Board  of  A</riculture,  1888-1889. 

"What  Shall  be  Taught  in  Country  Schools  to  Educate  Farmers."— 
Eighteenth  Annual  Report  <f  the  [New  Jersey]  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  1890. 

"  How  to  Know  Trees."— J r?>or  Day  Circular  of  New  York  State,  1895. 


CHAKLES  SCHAFFEK. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    THILADELPHIA.  305 

JOSEPH  TRIMBLE  ROTHROCK. 

Joseph  Trimble  Rothrock,  son  of  Dr.  Abraham  and 
Phoebe  Brinton  Rothrock,  was  born  April  9,  1839,  in  the 
little  village  of  McVeytown,  Mifflin  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  father  was  for  half  a  century  and  more  the 
leading  physician.  He  traces  his  fondness  for  botany  to 
his  mother,  who  was  distantly  related  to  the  late  Dr. 
William  Darlington,  long  the  most  famous  botanist  in 
eastern  Pennsylvania. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  earliest  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  McVeytown.  Later  he  studied 
at  Freeland  Seminary  (now  Ursinus  College)  in  Montgomery 
County.  Leaving  this  he  prepared  for  Harvard  University, 
at  Academia,  a  thriving,  successful  school  in  Juniata 
County.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Law^rence  Scientific 
School,  of  Harvard,  in  the  summer  of  1864,  receiving  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 

Like  many  another  youth  in  those  stirring  times,  his 
patriotism  got  the  better  of  even  his  desire  for  knowledge,  and 
soon  after  entering  Harvard  he  left  to  join  the  army,  wdiere 
he  served  two  years,  until  it  was  plain  that  the  back-bone 
of  the  Rebellion  had  been  broken.  His  first  term  of  service 
was  as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  D,  131st  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  wounded  through 
the  thigh  in  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  where  his 
company,  when  participating  in  the  celebrated  charge  of 
General  Humphrey,  had  killed  or  w^ounded  thirty-four  out 
of  forty-two  men.  His  second  term  of  service  was  as  Captain 
of  Company  E,  20th  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer 
Cavalry.      During    the   second   term   he   saw   much   hard 


306  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

service.  Early  in  1SG4  he  returned  to  Harvard  University 
to  complete  his  course  of  study,  and  in  July  of  that  year 
passed  his  examination  successfully  and  received  his  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science.  Professor  Asa  Gray  had  been  his 
chief  preceptor.  The  winter  of  1864-1865  was  spent  in 
medical  study  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
March,  1865,  he  started  via  Nicaragua  to  California.  He 
made  a  narrow  escape  with  his  life  in  Nicaragua,  from  an 
attack  of  Panama  fever.  In  June  he  was  on  the  Frazer 
River,  on  his  way  to  its  extreme  headwaters,  Avhere  at 
Lake  Tatleh,  in  British  Columbia,  the  headquarters  of 
the  telegraph  company  (in  that  region)  were  established. 
During  the  winter  of  1865-1866  he  traveled  over  2000 
miles  on  snow-shoes,  and  penetrated  into  regions  that  were 
practically  unknown. 

He  returned  the  following  spring  to  Philadelphia,  and 
in  1867  received  his  medical  degree  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  next  two  years  he  held  the  chair  of 
botany  in  the  State  Agricultural  College.  May  27,  1868, 
he  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Addison  and  Elizabeth 
May,  of  West  Chester.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  located  as 
a  physician  in  Wilkes-Barre,  and  soon  acquired  a  lucrative 
practice,  which  was  largely  surgical  in  character.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  active  in  founding  the  Wilkes-Barre  Hos- 
pital, which  has  now  grown  into  one  of  the  large  institu- 
tions of  the  State. 

During  the  years  1873,  1874  and  1875,  Dr.  Pothrock 
was  surgeon  and  botanist  to  Lieutenant  Wheeler's  Exploring 
Expedition  west  of  the  100th  meridian.  During  these 
years  he  made  large  botanical  collections  in  Colorado, 
Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  California.     The  results  of  his 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  307 

field   Avork   were   published  in,  and  made  up  the  quarto 
Volume  ^'I  of  tlie  reports  of  Lieutenant  Wheeler. 

In  1877  Dr.  Rothrock  was  elected  Professor  of  Botany 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  position  he  still 
holds,  though  he  has  been  absent  on  leave  for  several  years 
devoting  his  time  and  energy  to  the  forestry  cause  in  this 
State. 

In  the  winter  of  1889-90  he  made  a  voyage  to  the  West 
Indies  in  his  yacht,  the  "White  Cap,"  and  obtained 
important  scientific  collections.  In  June,  1893,  he  was 
appointed  the  first  Forestry  Commissioner  of  the  State  by 
Governor  Pattison.  His  associate  was  the  venerable  and 
accomplished  William  F.  Shunk.  Their  joint  report  was 
presented  to  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  March  12, 
1895.  It  may  be  regarded  as  being  the  first  attempt  at  a 
rational  forest  policy  for  the  State.  On  September  14,  1895, 
Dr.  Rothrock  was  appointed  Forestry  Commissioner  by 
Governor  Hastings. 

As  a  teacher,  Dr.  Rothrock  showed  himself  at  his  best. 
He  inspired  his  pupils  with  a  desire  to  learn  about  plants, 
taking  great  pains  in  the  laboratory  to  develop  the  students' 
powers  of  observation  to  the  utmost.  If  he  had  a  character 
which  predominated,  it  was  thoroughness.  Not  once  did 
he  rest  satisfied  until  he  had  obtained  from  a  pupil  the  best 
results  possible  under  the  circumstances.  From  the  outset 
he  not  only  encouraged,  but  requested  a  student  to  see, 
think  and  conclude  for  himself,  often  without  aid  from 
books  and  always  without  unnecessary  aid  from  him. 
This  may  appear  to  many  as  harsh  treatment,  but  systems 
of  teaching  can  only  be  judged  by  their  result,  and  in 
this  light  Professor  Rothrock's  method  stands  abundantly 


308  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

vindicated.  How  wivtched  the  system  of  education  which 
"  crams  "  a  lad  with  facts  and  leaves  him  unable  to  stand 
alone  when  beyond  the  authority  of  the  preceptor.  To 
the  fullest  extent  Dr.  Rothrock  recognized  this,  and  to 
prevent  such  a  result  insisted  on  mental  discipline,  which 
left  a  student  with  a  well-grounded  confidence  in  his  own 
powers.  It  is  probable  that  Dr.  Rothrock  would,  himself, 
regard  his  relation  to  the  forestry  cause  of  the  State  as  indi- 
cating his  most  important  life-work. 

The  State  Forestry  Commission  Report  *  makes  a 
volume  of  nearly  400  pages,  and  no  public  document 
issued  by  the  state  in  many  years  contains  so  much  valuable 
information  as  this.  It  gives,  in  detail,  with  illustrations 
and  other  matter  intended  to  throw  light  upon  the  forestry 
question  in  this  State,  the  results  of  the  important  work 
done  by  Professor  J.  T.  Rothrock  and  Colonel  W.  F.  Shunk, 
under  the  Act  of  May  23,  1893.  The  illustrations  embrace 
forty-seven  plates,  showing  the  conditions  existing  in  the 
wooded  sections  of  the  State  and  some  effects  of  the  forest 
fires.  There  are  also  plates  showing  the  naked  hills  and 
rapid  drainage,  which  causes  very  high  and  very  low  water. 
Colonel  Shunk  devotes  his  attention  to  the  water-sheds 
of  the  Commonwealth,  wild  lands  from  which  forest  reserves 
may  be  selected,  and  the  influence  of  woods  on  the  flow  of 
streams.  Professor  Rothrock  treats  the  subject  in  all  its 
phases.  A  summary  of  the  contents  shows  a  codification 
of  all  the  Acts  of  Assembly  relating  to  forestry,  timber 
lands,  trees,  etc.,  the  original  forest  conditions  of  Pennsyl- 

*  Annnal  Report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1895. 
Part  II  :  Division  of  Forestry,  comprising  Report  of  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Commis- 
sion, appointed  by  Act  of  Legislature,  approved  May  23,  1893.  By  J.  T.  Rothrock, 
M.  D.,  Botanist  Member;  William  F.  Shunk,  Engineer  Member.  State  Printer,  1896, 
octavo,  oCil  pp.,  47  plates,  6  maps. 


JOSEPH  T.  KOTHROCK. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  309 

vania,  the  waste  areas,  state  forest  lands,  time  and  fire  as 
elements  in  the  forestry  problem,  a  table  of  forest  fires, 
relations  of  forest  to  the  water  supply,  table  relating  to 
water  failure,  catalogue  of  forest  trees  of  Pennsylvania 
having  commercial  value,  detailed  statement  of  cleared  and 
timber  lands  by  counties,  and  timber  rafted  for  the  last 
twenty  years  to  Williamsport.  Considerable  space  is  given 
in  the  report  to  suggestions  as  to  sections  of  the  State 
suitable  for  a  forest  reserve.  In  1894  there  were  sold  in  this 
State  no  less  than  1,509,159  acres  for  taxes,  which  aggre- 
gated $290,386.13,  an  area  equal  to  one-nineteenth  of  the 
area  of  the  Commonwealth."^ 

As  a  lecturer,  as  connected  with  the  Michaux  Lecture 
Fund  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  and  with  the 
Forestry  Association  of  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Rothrock  had 
a  pleasing  way  of  reinforcing  his  remarks  by  stereopticon 
views  of  trees,  landscapes  and  historical  places  of  his  own 
making.  His  lectures  have  always  been  well  attended. 
It  should  be  said  of  Dr.  Eothrock,  that  in  abandoning 
the  field  of  scientific  botany  to  popularize  the  forestry  cause 
in  Pennsylvania,  he  did  it  reluctantly  and  only  on  the 
most  absolute  conviction  of  duty,  and  with  the  full  knowl- 
edge that  in  so  doing  he  was  jeopardizing  his  standing  as  a 
botanist.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  and  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

A  genus  of  Asclepiadacese,  from  lower  California,  com- 
memorates Dr.  Rothrock 's  services  to  botany.f  His  writings 
are : 


*  Philadelphia  Ledger,  October  26,  1896. 

t  Proceedings  American  Academy,  XX  :  (1885)  295.  (Rothrockia  cordifolia). 
Also  in  Wheeler's  Survey  Report  Pyrrhopappus  Rothroekii,  Gray ;  Halenia  Roth- 
rockii,  Gray  ;  Stachys  Rothroekii,  Gray ;  Towendsia  Rothroekii,  Gray ;  Artemisia 
Rothroekii,  Gray;  Nama  Rothroeki,  Gray. 


310  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrHIA. 

1.  "The  Morphology  of  the  Andrfeciiim  of  Fumariacere." — Proceed- 
ings of  Boston  Society  Natural  History,  IX  :  246  (1862). 

2.  "Revision  of  the  North  American  Gaurine^e." — Proceedings  of 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  VI  :   (1864)  pp.  347-354. 

3.  "Sketch  of  the  Flora  of  Alaska." — Smithsonian  Report,  1867, 
pp.  433-463. 

4.  "Conservation  and  Correlation  of  Vital  Force." — {American 
Naturalist  tor  1877?) 

5.  Volume  VI  of  Wheeler  Survey  Reports,  mainly  written  by  Dr. 
Rothrock,  published  in  1878.  (United  States  Geological  Surveys,  West  of 
100th  Meridian. ) 

6.  "Vacation  Cruising,"  1884.— J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co. 

7.  "The  Fertilization  of  Flowers." — American  Naturalist,  I  :  64. 

8.  ' '  List  of  and  Notes  upon  the  Lichens  collected  by  Dr.  T.  H.  Bean 
in  Alaska,  etc." — Proceedings  United  States  National  3Iuseum  (1884),  VII  :  1. 

In  the  Botanical  Gazette  the  following  articles  are  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  Rothrock : 

9.  "Chia."     land  II  :  17. 

10.  "A  Valuable  Work."     18. 

11.  "A  New  Preparation  for  Poisoning  Plants. "     27. 

12.  "Damiana."     28. 

13.  "  Diplopappus  ericoides."     70. 

14.  "  Sisyrynchium  Arizonicum,  Rothrock."     125. 

15.  "Chimaja."     126. 

16.  "Poisonous  Properties  of  Leguminosee."     133. 

17.  "A  Convenient  Microscope."     Ill  and  IV  :  37. 

18.  "  Staining  and  Double  Staining  Vegetable  Tissues."     201. 

19.  "The  Colorado  Berberis."     242. 

20.  "  How  to  make  Permanent  Botanical  Objects  for  the  Microscope." 
V  and  VI :  27. 

21.  "  Notes  on  Modes  of  Work  in  the  Laboratory  of  Professor  De  Bary 
in  Strassburg."     193,  204. 

22.  "Home  and  Foreign  Modes  of  Teaching  Botany."     233. 

23.  "A  Reply  to  Emesby."     VII  and  VIII  :  8. 

24.  "  Eriodictyon  glutinosum  as  Indicating  Evolution."     384. 

25.  "  The  Arizona  Potato. "     208. 
2ba.  "  Dr.  George  Martin."     XI  :  338. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  311 

He  has  been  a  constant  contributor  to  Fored  Leaves,  the 
official  organ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association,  as 
follows  : 

26.  ''Tree  Growth  as  Determined  by  Location."     11:18. 

27.  "The  Chestnut  Tree."     II  :  35. 

28.  "  Brandy  wine  Banks  above  the  Ford."     II  :  50. 

29.  "  Concerning  Our  Sassafras  Trees. "     II  :  G7. 

30.  "  Pinus  rigida  on  the  Dunes  at  Cape  Henlopen."     II  :  83. 

31.  "Along  the  Coast  Northward."     II  :  99. 

32.  "The  Row  Farm  Walnut  Tree."     11:133. 

33.  "Red  Cedar,  Savin."     II:  148. 

34.  "Mangroves."     Ill  :  5. 

35.  "  The  Old  Field  or  Loblolly  Pine."     Ill  :  25. 

36.  "  The  Tulip  Poplar,  or  Poplar  Tree."     Ill  :  85. 

37.  "The  Button  wood."     IV  :  5. 

38.  "The  Over  Cup  Oak."     IV  :  22. 

39.  "The  Black  Walnut."     IV  :  38. 

40.  "Our  Shell-bark  Hickory."     IV  :  56. 

41.  "The  Persimmon."     IV  :  72. 

42.  "The  Forest  PrimevaL"     IV  :  88. 

43.  "  The  American,  or  White  Elm."     IV  :  104. 

44.  "The  White  Ash."     IV  :  120. 

45.  "White  Pine."     IV  :  152. 

46.  "The  Hemlock."     IV  :  169. 

47.  "River  Birch."    IV  :  185. 

48.  "Fire  and  Flood."     V  :  8. 

49.  "The  Rock  Oak."     V  :  25. 

50.  "The  Beech."     V  :  40. 

51.  "The  Sugar  Maple."     V  :  56. 

52.  "The  Locust  Tree."     V  :  72. 

53.  "The  Bitter  Nut  Hickory."     V  :  89. 

54.  "The  Swamp  White  Oak."     V  :  104. 

55.  "The  American  Linden."     V  :  136. 

56.  "  Red  Pine,  Norway  Pine."     V  :  152. 

57.  "  Silver  Maple,  White  Maple,  Soft  Maple."     V  :  168. 

58.  "Kentucky  Coffee  Tree."     V  :  184. 

59.  "  Nyssa  sylvatica. "     VI  :  8. 


312  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

60.  ''Iron  Wood,  Hop-Hornbeam."     VI  :  40. 

61.  "  Tree  Form  and  Tree  Photog^aph5^  "     YI  :  72. 

62.  "Carvatomentosa."     VI  :  88. 

63.  "KockOak,  Kock  Chestnut  Oak. "     VI  :  104. 

64.  "Pin  Oak."     VI  :  121. 

65.  "Eed  Maple."     VI  :  137. 

66.  "  Yellow  Birch. "     YI  :  152. 

67.  "Black  Birch."     VI  :  169. 

68.  "The  Bed  Spruce."     VI  :  184. 

69.  "Honey  Locust."     VI  :  201. 

70.  "Swamp  Magnolia."     VII  :  8. 

71.  "Big  White  Oaks."     VII :  24. 

72.  "  A  Pennsylvania  Sequoia. "     VII:  24. 

73.  "The  Black  Spruce."     VII  :  40. 

74.  "The  Origin  of  Floral  Structures.     EevicAv  of  Rev.  George  Hen- 
slow's  Book." — The  American. 

75.  " Some  Observations  on  the  Bahamas  and  Jamaica." — Proceedings 
American  Philosopliical  Society,  XXIX  :  145. 

76.  '  'A  Monstrous  Specimen  of  Rudbeckia  hirta. ' ' — Contributions  Botan- 
ical Laboratory  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  3. 

77.  "A  Nascent  Variety  of  Brunella  vulgaris." — Contributions  Botanical 
Laboratory  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  64. 

78.  "A  Rare  Button  wood." — Garden  and  Forest,  III  :  69. 

79.  "The  Action  of   Root  Hairs,   Illustrated." — Garden  and   Forest, 
III  :  94. 

80.  "  Poisonous  Properties  of  the  Leguminoste. " — Proceedings  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  1877,  274. 

81.  "Relation  of  the  Medullary  Rays  to  the  Strength  of  Timber."— 
Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  1884,  14. 

82.  "The  Internal  Cambium  Ring  in  Gelsemium  sempervirens. — Pro- 
ceedings Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  1885,  22. 

83.  "Mimicry    Among    Plants." — Proceedings   Academy    of   Natural 
Sciences,  1888,  12. 

84.  "  Remarks  on  Death  of  Professor  Asa  Gray. " — Proceedings  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  1888,  62. 

85.  "The  Sand  Dunes  of  LeAves,   Delaware." — Proceedings   Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  1889,  134. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  313 

86.  "  Report  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  Pennsylvania. 
Part  II.  Division  of  Forestry."  1895,  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  Octavo, 
361  pages.     Illustrated. 

87.  "Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of 
Agriculture.  Part  II.  Division  of  Forestry."  Wm.  Stanley  Ray,  State 
Printer.     Octavo,  309  pages,  21  figures,  12  plates. 

CHARLES  McILVAINE. 

Charles  Mcllvaine,  son  of  Hon.  Abraham  R.  Mcllvaine 
and  Anna  (Mulvaney)  Mcllvaine,  was  born  on  Springton 
Farm,  part  of  the  old  Penii  Manor  of  Springton,  on  the 
31st  of  May,  1S40. 

The  Mcllvaine  family  were  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction. 
In  1529  they  were  the  Lairds  of  Gremit,  and  a  powerful 
Sept  of  the  House  of  Kennedy — the  Earls  of  Casilis. 
James  Mcllvaine,  from  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
descended,  emigrated  from  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and 
settled  near  Chester,  in  the  year  1740. 

Abraham  R.  Mcllvaine,  father  of  Charles,  was  a  patri- 
otic and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  represented  Chester 
County  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1836  ;  was  a  member  of 
the  Electoral  College  of  Pennsylvania  in  1840,  casting  his 
vote  for  General  Harrison  for  President,  and  represented  the 
Seventh  Congressional  District  in  Congress  from  1842  to 
1846,  inclusive.  During  his  whole  active  life  he  was  a  pro- 
nounced Unionist,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war 
encouraged  his  son  Charles,  then  division  engineer  on  the 
East  Brandywine  &  Waynesburg  Railroad,  to  aid  in  the 
suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  his  own  delicate  health  and 
age  alone  preventing  him  from  going  to  the  field  himself 

Charles  Mcllvaine,  though  only  just  of  age,  raised  a 
company  of  volunteers,  of   which  he  was  elected  captain, 


314  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

and  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States 
in  October,  1861.  He  united  his  company  with  the  Ninety- 
seventh  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Vohmteers  as  Com- 
pany H.  Captain  Mcllvaine  filled  many  important  staff 
and  military  positions,  and  served  his  country  with  distinc- 
tion and  bravery,  until  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of 
ill-health  on  June  10,  1863. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  the  hands  of 
private  teachers  and  at  the  public  schools  of  Indian  Town 
and  Brandywine  Manor.  He  afterwards  spent  eighteen 
months  at  the  Northwest  Grammar  School  of  Philadelphia, 
but  was  compelled  to  leave  there  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
because  of  failing  health.  Being  fond  of  reading  and  study, 
he  has  been  a  hard  student  since  that  age,  and  may  be 
called  a  self-educated  man. 

With  the  exception  of  letters  written  upon  art  matters 
while  in  Europe  in  1873  and  1874,  Captain  Mcllvaine  pub- 
lished but  little  until  1881,  when  he  became  a  contributor 
to  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  in  which  he  has  published  many 
humorous  poems  and  prose  sketches,  in  the  dialect  of  the 
West  Virginia  mountaineers,  under  his  nom  de  plume  of 
"  Tobe  Hodge."  The  "  Tim  Price  "  yarns  and  "  Powerful 
Temperance,"  humorous  sketches,  and  the  stories  of  the 
"  The  Twins  of  Weasel  Branch,"  "  The  Ghost  of  Aaron's 
Prong,"  and  "  The  Waifs  of  Fighting  Rocks,"  met  with 
great  popular  favor.  Under  his  nom  de  plume  and  proper 
name  he  has  contributed  to  nearly  all  the  leading  American 
magazines,  and  is,  under  his  proper  name,  a  well-known 
writer  upon  scientific  subjects — edible  and  non-edible  fungi 
being  his  specialty.  Puck,  Judge,  and  Harper's  publications 
and  others,  published  much  of  his  humorous  work,  signed 


CHARLES  McILVAINE. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  315 

and  unsigned.  His  story,  entitled  "  A  Legend  of  Polecat 
Hollow,"  which  originally  appeared  in  The  Continent, 
has  been  re-published  in  England  in  book-form,  where  it 
has  had  a  large  sale.  He  excels  as  a  writer  of  humorous 
and  dialectical  poems,  and  as  a  writer  of  short  stories  he  has 
had  excellent  success. 

Since  1881  Captain  Mcllvaine  has  indefatigably  devoted 
himself  to  determining,  by  experiments  upon  himself, 
which  of  the  many  hundred  varieties  of  toadstools  are 
suitable  for  food,  which  are  not,  and  which  of  the  latter 
either  contain  matter  injurious  to  the  human  system, 
minor  poisons,  or  poisons  deadly  in  effect.  He  has  thus 
tested  nearly  five  hundred  species.  The  most  imjDortant 
of  Captain  Mcllvaine's  discoveries  is  to  be  found  in  an 
article  entitled,  "  Amanitin  and  its  Antidote,"  published 
in  The  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter,  December  12  and  19, 
1885,  and  afterward  embodied  in  an  article  "  The  Deadly 
and  Minor  Poisons  of  Toadstools,"  in  The  Therapeutic 
Gazette,  May  15,  1893,  which  was  re-printed  in  pamphlet 
form.  These  articles  clearly  demonstrate  that  atropin  is 
the  antidote  to  the  terrible,  deadly  poison  of  the  Amanitse. 
He  has  in  course  of  preparation  an  important  book, 
entitled :  "  Eight  hundred  American  Fungi,  Mushrooms, 
Toadstools."  In  it  750  edible  forms  are  described,  and 
sixty  poisonous  or  suspected  plants.  Recipes  for  cooking 
the  edible  ones  are  also  to  be  added.  The  value  of  Captain 
Mcllvaine's  work,  in  a  field  in  a  which  he  stands  pre-emi- 
nently alone,  lies  in  the  correction  of  the  many  existing 
fallacies  relating  to  toadstools;  the  segregation  of  edible 
species  from  those  which  are  harmful,  and  the  confirmation 
of  by  far  the  greater  number  of  varieties  as  wholesome, 
palatable,  plentiful  food. 


316  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

HORATIO  C.  WOOD. 

Horatio  C.  AVood,"^  AL  D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica 
and  Therapeutics,  and  Clinical  Professor  of  the  Diseases  of 
the  Nervous  System  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
Physician  to  the  Philadelphia  Hospital,  and  member  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Science,  etc.,  was  born  January  13, 
1841,  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  the  son  of  Horatio  C. 
Wood,  Sr.,  and  Elizabeth  H.,  daughter  of  John  Bacon,  for 
many  years  Treasurer  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia.  He 
Avas  descended  on  his  father's  side  from  Richard  Wood,  who 
emigrated  from  Bristol,  England,  in  1682  or  1683,  and 
settled  in  Philadelphia.  The  family  afterward  removed  to 
New  Jersey,  the  generation  preceding  Dr.  Wood  returning 
to  Philadelphia.  He  is  a  nephew  of  the  late  Dr.  George  B. 
Wood,  who  died  childless.  Intermingled  with  the  English 
blood  is  a  Scotch  strain,  coming  down,  according  to  the 
genealogical  researches  by  ]\Ir.  Gideon  Scull,  of  England, 
from  a  brother  of  Robert  Bruce,  of  Scotland.  Dr.  Wood 
developed  a  fondness  for  natural  history  early  in  life.  His 
literary  education  was  received  at  Friends'  Schools,  among 
the  most  notable  of  which  was  the  Westtown  Boarding 
School,  near  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania.  The  natural 
bent  of  his  mind  was  toward  professional  studies.  He 
studied  medicine  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
received  his  degree  in  March,  1862.  But  before  he  entered 
upon  his  medical  course,  he  had  become  an  earnest  worker 
at  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  and 
distinguished  himself  in  the  scientific  field  by  original 
work.  His  first  original  paper,  published  when  he  was 
nineteen  years    old,  appeared    in    the    Proceedimgs  of   the 

*  Therapeutic  Gazette,  1884. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PPIILADELPHIA.  317 

Academy  for  1860.  It  was  entitled,  "  Contriljutioiis  to  the 
Carboniferous  Flora  of  the  United  States,  and  Catalogue 
of  the  Carboniferous  Plants  in  the  Museum  of  the  .Icadeniy, 
with  Description  of  Three  New  Species." 

Immediately  after  graduating  in  medicine.  Dr.  Wood 
was  appointed  one  of  the  resident  physicians  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Hospital,  where  he  remained-  one  year,  after  which 
he  served  a  similar  term  at  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital, 
spending,  during  the  war,  considerable  time  in  the  military 
hospitals  in  and  about  Philadelphia  and  Washington.  He 
commenced  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Phila- 
delphia in  ISGo.  He  now  began  the  special  work  in 
therapeutics  and  materia  medica,  but  still  continued  his 
natural  history  studies,  and  published  several  papers  on 
natural  science,  especially  on  histological  botany.  His  chief 
botanical  work,  "  Prodromus  of  a  Study  of  North  American 
Fresh-water  Alga3,"  wdiich  long  remained  the  standard 
work  on  the  subject,  until  the  work  of  Wolle  appeared,  was 
published  June  18, 1869. 

In  1866  Dr.  Wood  was  appointed  by  the  Trustees  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Professor  of  Botany  in  the 
Auxiliary  Faculty  of  Medicine,  which  had  been  estabhshed 
and  endowed  by  his  uncle.  Professor  George  B.  Wood. 
About  1870  he  began  to  study  especially  nervous  diseases, 
and  on  the  organization  of  the  new  university  hospital,  in 
March,  1874,  he  was  appointed  Clinical  Lecturer  on  Nervous 
Diseases,  which  position,  in  1875,  was  made  a  professorship 
by  the  Trustees  of  the  University.  In  1870  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  visiting  physicians  of  the  Philadelphia  Hospital, 
and  since  1872  he  has  given  his  attention  solely  to  the 
science  and  art  of  medicine,  abandoning  entirely  his  general 


318  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

natural  history  studies.  In  1876,  on  the  death  of  Professor 
Joseph  Carson,  he  was  chosen  Professor  of  Materia  Medica 
and  Therapeutics  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Penns3^1vania,  soon  after  which  he  resigned  the 
chair  of  botany  in  the  Auxiliary  Faculty  of  Medicine. 

Dr.  AVood  made  his  debut  in  the  journalistic  field  July, 
1871,  as  the  editor  of  New  Remedies,  published  in  New  York 
by  William  Wood  &  Company,  in  which  position  he  con- 
tinued until  January,  1873.  In  1873  he  became  editor  of 
the  Philadelphia  Medical  Times,  published  by  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  &  Company,  resigning  this  position  in  1873.  Professor 
Wood  is  the  sole  editor  of  the  latter  half  of  the  fourteenth 
edition  of  the  "  United  States  Dispensatory,"  and  his  able 
revision  of  the  fifteenth  edition,  in  company  with  Professors 
J.  P.  Remington  and  Sadtler  is  well  known. 

The  success  of  this  has  exceeded  that  of  any  previous 
edition  of  the  book,  about  15,000  copies  of  it  having  been  sold 
in  a  twelve-month.  Dr.  Wood's  brochure  on  "  Brain  Work 
and  Over  Work,"  in  1879,  has  been  read  with  interest  by  the 
general  practitioner  all  over  the  land ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  in  regard  to  a  volume  entitled  "  Food  for  Invalids," 
published  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Fothergill,  of  London, 
in  1880. 

But  the  work  which  crowns  the  effort  of  his  life  is  the 
"  Treatise  on  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics,"  published 
in  1875,  the  fifth  edition  in  1883.  This  was  the  first  one 
published  in  the  English  language,  in  which  the  physio- 
logical action  of  drugs  was  brought  prominently  forward  as 
a  ground-work  of  a  treatise  on  therapeutics. 

Dr.  Wood  has  been  connected  as  active  or  honorary 
member    with  the   following  learned  bodies:    Lyceum  of 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  319 

Natural  History,  of  New  York ;  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, American  Philosophical  Society,  Societe  d'Hygiene, 
Paris;  Amer.  I.  Sci.  Kwai,  Japan  (Tokio).  He  is  still 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  as  a 
professor  in  the  most  prominent  medical  school  of  the 
country  occupies  an  exalted  place  among  professional  men. 

USELMA  C.  SMITH. 

Uselma  C.  Smith,  a  local  botanist  of  repute,  was  born 
June  9,  1841,  in  the  West,  where  his  parents  had  removed 
from  Philadelphia.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  Western  Reserve.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  January  16,  1864.  In  August,  1868,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia,  and  as  the  Solicitor,  Member  of  the  Council 
and  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  institution.  After  the 
lamented  death  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Brinton,  Mr.  Smith  was  elected 
President  of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  an  institu- 
tion of  working  botanists,  founded  by  Dr.  Brinton. 

ADOLPH  WILLIAM  MILLER. 

Adolph  William  Miller  *  was  born,  October  8,  1841,  at 
Berge,  in  the  former  Kingdom  of  Hanover  (now  a  province 
of  Prussia),  in  a  building  occupied  as  a  pharmacy  by  his 
father,  William  H.  Miller ;  this  store  being  a  branch  (Filial 
Apotheke)  of  the  one  belonging  to  his  maternal  grandfather, 
Franz  von  Lengerken,  at  Ankum,  some  three  miles  distant. 
He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  in  the  fall  of 
1848,  at  the  age  of  seven  years.     Landing  at  New  Orleans, 

*  Published  in  Alumni  Report  (Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy),  XXXH  ■ 
p.  79.    January,  ;.896,  with  portrait. 


320  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

after  a  tedious  voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  the  family 
ascended  the  Mississippi  on  a  very  slow  steamboat,  and 
reached  St.  Louis  about  Christmas.  His  father  purchased  a 
property  in  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  some  four- 
teen miles  east  of  St.  Louis,  and  there  opened  a  drug  store. 
Young  Adolph  attended  the  public  schools  in  Belleville  for 
five  years,  and  also  received  private  instruction  in  Latin, 
French  and  German. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  he  entered  the  store  of  Edward  T. 
Robinson,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Market 
Streets,  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Mr.  Eobinson  had  then  but 
recently  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy, having  been  apprenticed  to  the  well-known  firm  of 
Bullock  and  Crenshaw.  Mr.  Miller  remained  here  for 
nearly  four  years,  the  store  in  the  meanwhile  passing  into 
the  hands  of  Robert  Parham  and  Samuel  W.  Hendel — both 
of  them  former  Philadelphians.  ]\Ir.  Hendel  was  also  a 
graduate  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  having 
been  employed  in  the  store  of  Henry  C.  Blair. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  father,  W.  H.  Miller,  had  sold 
his  property  in  Belleville,  and  opened  a  drug  store  in  the 
then  frontier  post  of  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  where  he  was 
joined,  in  1857,  by  his  son.  While  assisting  his  father,  he 
continued  his  studies  in  Latin,  Greek  and  mathematics  in 
the  College  of  St.  Paul.  On  account  of  the  high  praise 
which  had  so  frequently  been  bestowed  on  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Pharmacy  by  all  of  his  former  employers,  ^Ir. 
Miller  early  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  its  teaching 
resources.  With  the  opening  of  navigation  in  the  spring  of 
1860 — there  being  no  railroads  in  the  Territory  of  Minne- 
sota at  that  time — he  descended  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis, 


ADOLPJl   W.    MILLER 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  321 

came  by  rail  to  Philadelphia,  and  found  employment  in 
the  drug  store  of  Ferdinand  Roller,  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  Mt.  Vernon  Streets,  and  subsequently  with 
Henry  0.  D.  Banks,  at  Fourth  and  Callowhill  Streets.  Mr. 
Miller  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy in  1862,  the  age  Cjualifications  then  not  being  rigidly 
insisted  upon. 

Immediately  after  graduating,  and  before  being  of  age, 
he  was  offered  a  partnership  with  his  former  employer,  the 
firm  then  being  styled  Henry  0.  D.  Banks  &  Company. 
Some  three  years  later,  Mr.  Banks  retired,  and  the  remaining 
partners  established  the  new  firm  of  Aschenbach  &  Miller, 
which  has  continued  in  business  to  the  present  time, 
although  its  establishment  was  removed  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  Third  and  Callowhill  Streets. 

Without  any  intention  of  changing  his  profession,  Mr. 
Miller  resolved  to  study  medicine,  chiefly  for  the  educational 
advantages  connected  therewith.  As  every  successive  course 
of  lectures  in  the  medical  colleges,  at  that  time,  was  an 
exact  repetition,  he  decided  to  have,  at  least,  the  benefit  of 
the  different  views  entertained  by  the  then  most  prominent 
teachers.  He  therefore  matriculated  in  1869  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  where  he  attended  one  full  course  of  lectures. 
His  next  regular  course  was  taken  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  then  occupying  the  site  where  the  Phila- 
delphia Post-Office  is  now  located,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  medicine  in  1871.  He  then  continued  a  series  of  studies 
in  the  Auxiliary  Department  of  Medicine  of  the  University, 
receiving  its  diploma  as  Ph.  D.  in  1872.  He  has  also 
received  the  honorary  title  of  D.  0.  from  the  Mt.  Vernon 
Institute  of  Elocution  and  Languages  of  this  city. 


322  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Shortly  after  the  establishment  of  a  pharmaceutical 
laboratory  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Miller  was  elected  Demonstrator  of  Phar- 
macy, which  position  he  has  held  continuously.  Some  ten 
years  ago  he  was  also  appointed  Lecturer  on  Materia  Medica 
in  the  University,  which  office  he  also  still  holds. 

Dr.  Miller  has  been  President  of  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  a  most 
active  member ;  President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
Auxiliary  Department  of  ^ledicine  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania ;  President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
National  School  of  Elocution  and  Oratory,  and  he  is  at 
present  President  of  the  Lotus  Club,  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  President 
of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania.  He  has  also 
been  President  of  the  Eisner  and  Mendelson  Company,  of 
New  York,  from  the  time  of  its  incorporation. 

Dr.  ]\Iiller  was  married  to  Margaretta  T.  Ash,  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Mayor  Alexander 
Henry.  He  has  three  daughters  living,  one  of  whom  is 
married  to  William  C.  Helweg,  and  another  to  Alden  H. 
Weed,  both  of  this  city. 

ISAAC  C.  MARTINDALE. 

Isaac  C.  Martindale  *  was  born  in  Byberry,  Phila- 
delphia County,  Pennsylvania,  July  15,  1842.  His  parents 
belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  his  early  education  was 
acquired  chiefly  in  the  Quaker  schools.  He  began  the  study 
of  natural  history  while  on  the  parental  farm,  and  in  the 
absence  of  books  he  acquired  considerable  scientific  knowl- 

*  1895.    Torrey  Botanical  Bulletin,  XX  :  98. 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADELPHIA.  323 

edge  by  close  application.  He  left  the  farm  and  became  a 
clerk  in  a  bank  at  Byberry.  In  1875  he  became  Cashier  of 
the  National  State  Bank  of  Camden.  Later,  when  the 
Camden  National  Bank  was  established,  the  cashiership 
was  confided  to  him.  He  was  for  some  years  Treasurer  of 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  a  position 
in  which  his  financial  ability  made  him  eminently  useful. 

The  study  of  botany  was  to  him  a  welcome  relaxation. 
He  acquainted  himself  with  the  plants  in  the  vicinity  of 
Byberry,  and  in  a  short  trip  to  Europe  his  eyes  were 
delighted  by  the  mountain  flora  of  Switzerland.  After  his 
removal  to  Camden,  close  proximity  to  the  rich  and  peculiar 
flora  of  the  "  Jersey  Pines  "  opened  to  him  a  new  fleld,  in 
the  study  of  which  he  profited  by  the  companionship  and 
accurate  local  knowledge  of  the  lamented  Charles  F. 
Parker.  With  most  assiduous  effort,  most  untiring  industry, 
and  with  a  large  outlay  of  money,  he  increased  and  per- 
fected his  herbarium,  which  had  few,  if  any  rivals,  among 
the  private  collections  in  the  land. 

He  published  in  the  American  Naturalist  (November, 
1879),  a  list  of  plants  collected  on  an  excursion  with  some 
members  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Science,  to  the  vicinity  of  Pike's  Peak  in  1878.  In  1880 
he  read  before  the  West  New  Jersey  Surveyor's  Association 
a  paper  entitled  "Notes  Upon  the  Bartram  Oak  "  (Quercus 
heterophylla),  with  a  summar}^  of  the  literature. 

There  appeared  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  for  1880,  a  short  paper  on 
'^  Sexual  Variations  in  Castanea  Americana."  Mr.  Martin- 
dale  had  time  to  prepare  a  "  list  of  the  marine  alga?,  hitherto 
observed  on  the  coasts  of  New  Jersey  and  Staten  Island," 


324  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

which  was  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the  ''  Memoirs 
of  the  Torrey  Club."  His  studies  of  the  ballast  plants  also 
deserve  notice  in  speaking  of  his  botanical  work.  He 
wrote  a  very  just  and  feeling  biographical  sketch  of  his 
friend,  Charles  F.  Parker,  who  had  died  the  previous 
September.* 

Mr.  Martindale  also  devoted  himself  to  other  sciences. 
Entomology  received  a  share  of  his  attention,  and  in  1863 
he  was  made  a  corresponding  member  of  the  American 
Entomological  Society.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of 
the  Lepidoptera,  and  made  a  collection  which  experts  in 
that  department  have  pronounced  as  one  of  the  finest  in 
America.  He  interested  himself  in  meteorology,  and  was 
one  of  the  observers  for  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 

He  also  investigated  the  history  of  his  native  town 
(Byberry),  and  studied  his  family  genealogy. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  Mr.  Martindale  over-taxed  his 
strength,  and,  perhaps,  had  he  shortened  his  hours  of  labor 
he  might  have  been  spared  to  the  world  for  many  years 
longer.  Symptoms  of  failing  health  led  him  to  resign  his 
position  within  a  week  or  two  before  his  death,  in  order 
that  he  might  be  restored  by  travel. 

Commencing  his  study  of  plants  at  the  time  that 
systematic  botany  alone  seemed  to  engage  almost  the  entire 
attention  of  botanists,  Mr.  Martindale's  collections  soon 
secured  him  an  acquaintance  with  the  recognized  botanical 
authorities. 

The  herbarium  f  was  commenced  in  his  early  man- 
hood, and  its  collection  and  arrangement  occupied  at  least 

*  Proceedings  of  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,   November, 
1883. 

f  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  LXVI :  251.    May,  1894. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  325 

twenty-five  years.  During  a  great  portion  of  tliis  time 
he  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  assistance  in  this  work  of 
Charles  F.  Parker.  The  collection  consisted  of  seven  large 
walnut  cases,  compactly  filled  with  mounted  specimens. 
"  It  is  impossible  to  form  any  definite  idea  of  the  number  of 
plants  contained,  as  on  many  of  the  sheets  several  speci- 
mens are  attached  from  different  localities.  The  specimens 
are  all  handsomely  mounted  on  white  paper,  and  properly 
arranged  in  heavy  manila  paper  genus  covers,  and  in 
natural  order  divisions,  the  plan  of  arrangement  adopted 
being  that  of  Durand's  Index,  corresponding  with  the 
nomenclature  of  the  Genera  Plantarum  of  Bentham  and 
Hooker. 

"  Every  division  of  systematic  botany  is  well  repre- 
sented. Not  only  the  Phanerogamia  or  flowering  plants, 
but  the  Pteridophyta,  including  a  magnificent  collection 
of  ferns;  the  mosses  and  liverworts,  and  the  Thallophyta 
are  represented  by  a  collection  of  alg^e,  fungi  and  lichens. 
It  was  the  aim  of  Mr.  Martindale  to  make  his  collection 
complete  and  a  representative  herbarium,  and  it  is  univer- 
sally acknowledged  as  surpassing,  both  in  numl^ers  and  in 
the  perfection  of  style  and  arrangement,  any  private  col- 
lection in  America. 

"  His  proximity  to  and  knowledge  of  the  peculiar  flora 
of  the  pine  barrens  of  New  Jersey,  gave  him  a  fund  of 
material  valuable  for  exchanges,  and  he  was  not  slow  to 
take  advantage  of  this  in  obtaining  valuable  specimens  to 
complete  his  own  collection.  His  correspondence  and 
exchanges  were  numerous,  including  such  countries  as 
Canada,  Brazil,  England,  France,  Germany,  Austria  and 
Scandinavia,  and  the  flora  of  these  are  represented  in  the 


326  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

herbarium.  Mr.  Martindale  paid  considerable  attention  to 
the  peculiar  and  miscellaneous  plants  of  the  ballast  grounds, 
and  this  class,  difficult  of  study  to  the  ordinary  student, 
because  not  contained  in  our  local  manuals,  is  likewise  well 
represented. 

"  In  addition  to  making  extensive  collections  himself, 
and  exchanging  with  numerous  botanists,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  he  acquired,  by  purchase,  the  best  collections  offered. 
No  collector  submitted  a  list  of  desirable  plants  but  that  he 
was  made  happy  by  an  order  from  Mr.  Martindale,  and  he 
was  a  liberal  contributor  to  every  botanical  expedition. 
Among  the  many  noted  American  collectors,  whose  col- 
lections are  here  represented,  may  be  mentioned :  Parry, 
Garber,  Lemmon,  Rothrock,  Rusby,  Curtiss,  Howell, 
Reynolds,  Palmer,  and  those  magnificent  collections  made 
in  the  southwestern  states  and  territories  and  in  Mexico,  by 
C.  G.  Pringle. 

"  In  1881  he  purchased  the  herbarium  of  Dr.  Ferdinand 
Rugel,  of  Tennessee,  which  was  replete  in  the  representation 
of  the  flora  of  the  southern  states,  thus  receiving  a  large 
addition  to  his  already  extensive  collections  from  this 
region.  These  specimens  were  remounted  and  distributed 
through  his  herbarium.  A  great  part  of  the  herbarium 
of  his  friend  and  co-laborer,  Charles  F.  Parker,  who  had 
made  a  special  study  of  the  flora  of  New  Jersey,  is  preserved 
in  this  collection.     Likewise  the  collections  of  C.  F.  Austin. 

"  No  expense  was  spared  to  make  his  herbarium  com- 
plete and  perfect  in  every  respect,  and  the  outlay  was  large. 
It  is  estimated  that  in  the  collection  and  arrangement  of 
this  magnificent  herbarium,  Mr.  Martindale  had  spent 
at  least  §15,000. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrHIA.  OZ  i 

"  Beyond  any  statement  of  the  money  value  of  tlie  her- 
barium, its  true  value  will  be  in  its  importance  to  scientific 
study  and  future  investigations.  Mr.  Martindale's  studies 
brouo^ht  him  in  contact  with  the  botanical  teachers  and 
authorities,  and  numerous  are  the  specimens  bearing  the 
labels  of  such  eminent  botanists  as  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  John  M. 
Coulter,  Sereno  Watson,  Dr.  N.  L.  Britton,  Professor  E.  L. 
Greene,  Dr.  Vasey,  Professor  Macoun,  Professor  Underwood, 
Dr.  Porter  and  William  Canby. 

"  The  specimens  and  various  genera  or  orders,  difficult 
of  determination,  have  been  very  generally  submitted  to 
specialists  in  the  various  departments,  and  their  notes  and 
reference  will  add  materially  to  the  value  of  this  collection. 
Many  of  the  composites  were  examined  and  determined  by 
Dr.  Gray  while  preparing  the  volume  of  his  Synoptical 
Flora  of  North  America,  covering  that  order. 

"  In  the  catalogue  of  the  plants  of  New  Jersey,  forming 
part  of  the  geological  survey  of  that  state,  Professor  N.  L. 
Britton  frequently  refers  to  the  herbarium  of  Mr.  Martin- 
dale  as  authority  for  statements  made." 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy,  to  whom  the  herbarium  was  presented  through 
the  liberality  of  Messrs.  Smith,  Kline,  French  &  Company, 
to  preserve  the  Martindale  Herbarium  intact  as  a  reference 
herbarium,  and,  under  proper  regulations,  it  will  be  open  to 
visiting  botanists  for  study  and  consultation. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "Variation  iu  Leaves." — Botanical  Gazette,  I  :  46. 

2.  "  The  Introduction  of  Foreign  Plants." — Botanical  Gazette,  II  :  55. 

3.  "Ferns  from  Rock  Castle  Spring,  Kentucky." — Botanical  Gazette, 
II  :  62. 


328  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

4.  "More  about  Ballast  Plants."— J5o^/n/c-a/  Gazette.  II:  127. 

5.  ' '  Orobanche  minor  in  New  Jersey. ' ' — Botnn iced  Gazette,  III-IV  :  73. 

6.  "Germination  and  Growth  of  Parasitic  Plants." — Botanical 
Gazette,  Y-YI  :  38. 

7.  "Quercusheterophylla." — Botanical  Gazette,  V-VI  :  303. 

8.  "Osmunda  cinnamomea  var.  frondosa." — Botanical  Gazette^ 
YII-YIII  :  86. 

9.  "Sudden  Appearance  of  Plants." — Torrey  Botanical  Bulletin, 
YI  :  105. 

10.  "Opuntia  vulgaris,  a  New  Jersey  Plant." — Torrey  Botanical 
Bulletin,  YI  :  105. 

LINN^US   FUSSELL. 

Linnaeus  Fussell,  M.  D.,  son  of  Dr.  Edwin  Fussell,  of 
Delaware  County,  a  leading  and  well-informed  botanist,  and 
one  of  the  most  actiYe  observers,  constantly  giving  attention 
to  the  study  of  plants,  was  born  September  2,  1842.  At 
present  he  is  President  of  the  Biological  Section  of  the 
Delaware  County  Institute  of  Science. 

A.  F.  K.  KROUT. 

A.  F.  K.  Krout  was  born  in  the  village  of  Line  Lex- 
ington, in  New  Britain  Township,  Bucks  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  2,  18-43. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Bucks 
County,  and  received  his  academic  training  at  the  North 
AVales  Institute,  in  Montgomery  County. 

His  principal  work  has  been  teaching.  He  first  taught 
in  the  public  schools  of  Bucks  County,  after  which  he  held 
the  position  of  Supervising  Principal  of  the  following 
borough  schools  in  Pennsylvania  :  Coplay,  Lehigh  County  ; 
Emlenton,  Venango  County ;  Lehighton,  Carbon  County ; 
Wyoming,  Luzerne  County. 

In  June,  1883,  he  gave  up  teaching  to  become  the  Cor- 
poration Accountant  and  Cashier  for  the  Coplay  Iron  Com- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  329 

pany,  a  corporation  owned  principally  and  controlled  by 
Mr.  E.  P.  Wilbur,  former  President  of  tlie  Lehigh  Valley 
Railroad  Company,  This  position  he  held  for  five  years, 
after  which  he  resumed  his  professional  work  in  the  Borough 
of  Emlenton.  In  1876  he  appeared  before  the  State  Board 
of  Examiners  for  the  Normal  Schools,  passed  the  exami- 
nation successfully,  and  became  an  authorized  teacher  of 
didactics. 

He  became  a  resident  of  Philadelphia  in  1892,  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  Business  Departments  of  Temple 
College,  Broad  and  Berks  Streets,  and  of  the  Union  College 
of  Business,  Broad  and  Market  Streets. 

He  found  much  pleasure  in  pursuing  a  course  of 
general  studies  in  science  and  language,  and  in  1877 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  recognized  his  industry  as  a 
student,  and  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

Having  the  confidence  of  the  people  at  his  permanent 
home  in  Coplay,  he  was  frequently  called  upon  to  fill 
positions  of  honor  and  responsibility.  He  was  the  first 
commissioned  Magistrate  when  that  town  became  a  borough, 
which  office  he  held  from  1869  to  1890.  He  was  Secretary 
of  Town  Council  for  thirteen  years  and  School  Director  five 
years. 

The  judges  of  the  courts  frequently  appointed  him  to 
serve  on  road  juries  and  commissions,  and  there  are  few 
townships  in  Lehigh  County  in  which  he  was  not  called  to 
execute  these  appointments. 

His  favorite  study  since  1869  has  been  botany.  When 
not  in  the  class-room  he  has  been  out-  in  the  fields.  When 
he  came  to  Philadelphia  he  i3repared  himself  further  in 
botany,  1)y  taking,  for  three  years,  the  special  course  for 
teachers   in    botanv    and    zooloov   at    the    Universitv    of 


330  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Pennsylvania.     The  work  done  in  the  botanical  line  may 
here  be  mentioned : 

1.  "  The  Flora  of  Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania,"  in 
conjunction  with  Dr.  William  Herbst,  the  eminent  mycolo- 
gist, who  is  still  a  resident  of  the  County.  The  greater 
part  of  the  Lehigh  collection  is  deposited  in  the  Herbarium 
of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club  at  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 

2.  "  The  Grasses  of  Philadelphia,"  1898.  These  were 
contributed  to  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Porter's  Pennsylvania  Her- 
barium at  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pennsylvania. 

3.  "  The  cataloguing  of  the  Bartonian  Collection  when 
deposited  with  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  by  the 
Philosophical  Society  in  1897."  This  collection  contains 
the  plants  collected  by  Pursh  on  his  memorable  trips  from 
Philadelphia  to  the  high  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  and 
to  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  White  Mountains,  in  1806 
and  1807. 

Professor  Krout  is  a  member  of  the  Biological  Society 
and  the  Pennsylvania  Botanical  Society  at  the  University. 
At  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Botanical  Section,  Microscopical  and  Biological  Sections, 
Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  the  Pennsylvania  ^lycological 
Society,  and  is  now  President  of  the  Philadelphia  Moss 
Chapter. 

ED50N  5EWELL  BASTIN. 

Edson  Sewell  Bastin  was  born  May  29,  1813,  in 
Azaukee  County,  Wisconsin.  His  father  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  farmers  of  what  was  then  a  new  territory,  a  hardy, 
industrious  man,  with  little  more  than  a  district  school 
education,  but  well  endowed  with  hard  sense  and  pluck. 


THE   BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  dol 

Edson's  mother  was  a  sweet-natured  woman,  domestic  in 
her  tastes,  quiet  in  her  manners  but  keenly  observant,  and 
though  not  a  botanist  in  the  scientific  sense,  a  lover  of 
flowers  and  with  a  mind  well  stored  with  plant  lore.  At 
the  age  of  twelve  the  boy's  heart  was  saddened,  almost 
broken,  by  the  death  of  his  mother.  It  was  indeed  an 
irreparable  loss,  though  three  years  afterwards  when  the 
father  re-married,  the  children  learned  to  love  and  revere 
their  step-mother,  whose  afl'ectionate  nature  and  nobility  of 
character  once  more  made  their  home  a  cheerful  and  happy 
one.  The  boy  led  the  usual  life  of  a  farmer  lad  in  those 
days,  attending  district  school  in  the  old  log  school-house 
in  winters,  and  helping  at  farm  work  in  summer  time  until 
about  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was  sent  away  to  school 
at  Carroll  College,  in  Waukesha. 

His  patriotism  was  deeply  stirred  by  the  events  of 
1862,  and  stopping  midway  in  his  college  course,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  2Sth  Wisconsin  Infantry  in 
August  of  that  year,  and  in  December  went  with  his  regi- 
ment to  the  front.  He  participated  in  the  stirring  cam- 
paigns against  Vicksburg  and  Arkansas  Post,  fought  in  the 
battle  of  Helena,  and  marched  with  General  Steele  to  the 
capture  of  Little  Rock.  He  had  suffered  much  in  health 
from  the  malarial  climate  and  the  severe  exposure  incident 
to  camp  life,  and  soon  after  reaching  Little  Rock 
applied  for  and  secured  a  clerkship  at  headc|uarters, 
where  he  found  employment  suited  to  his  tastes,  and 
the  opportunity  to  regain  his  accustomed  physical  vigor. 
He  must  have  impressed  his  superiors  favorably,  for  at 
the  end  of  a  year,  at  the  re-organization  of  the  Fourth 
Arkansas  Cavalry,  he   was  appointed   a   Captain  in   that 


332  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

regiment.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  although  recommended 
by  an  examining  board  of  officers  for  a  cadetship  at  West 
Point,  he  determined  to  leave  the  military  service,  partly 
because,  on  account  of  his  father's  death,  affairs  at  home 
needed  his  attention,  and  partly  because  he  had  no  relish 
for  a  military  career. 

He  was  determined,  however,  to  obtain,  if  possible,  a 
liberal  education,  and  so  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, 
1865,  he  resumed  his  collegiate  course,  this  time  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  From  this  institution  he  was  graduated 
in  1867.  He  then  spent  three  j-^ears  in  the  study  of  theology 
only  to  reach  the  conclusion  at  the  close  of  his  course,  that 
he  knew  less  of  the  sulyect  than  he  thought  he  knew  at  the 
beginning.  These  studies  were  therefore  laid  aside,  and  the 
3'oung  man  began  to  take  a  deeper  interest  in  things 
demonstrable. 

Wearied  by  close  application  to  l)ooks,  with  health  con- 
siderably im[)aired,  and  not  a  little  disappointed  at  the 
outcome  of  his  years  of  study,  he  gave  up  the  idea  of 
entering  a  profession,  and  determined  to  go  into  business. 
Ere  long  the  opportunity  presented  itself,  and  he  entered  a 
drug  store  and  began  the  study  of  pharmacy.  His  love  of 
plants,  first  learned  at  his  mother's  knee,  and  rekindled  by 
his  course  in  botany  at  college,  brief  and  unsatisfactory  as 
this  was,  now  received  a  new  stimulus.  He  began  with 
collecting  and  studying  native  medicinal  plants,  but  his 
enthusiasm  soon  carried  him  much  l3eyond  this,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  had  identified  the  larger  proportion  of 
the  local  phcenogamous  plants.  In  fact,  his  drug  business 
received  a  much  larger  share  of  attention  on  its  scientific 
than  on  its  financial  side.     It  consequently  languished,  and 


THE    BOTANISTS    OP    PHILADELPHIA.  333 

before  three  years  had  passed  its  discouraged  young  pro- 
prietor had  sold  out. 

With  the  feeHng  that,  after  all,  business  was  not  to  be 
his  life  occupation,  his  attention  now  began  to  be  turned 
toward  the  teacher's  profession.  After  giving  instruction 
in  common  school  branches  for  a  year  or  more,  he  was 
offered  by  Chancellor  Burroughs,  for  whom  he  entertained 
a  strong  affection,  the  position  of  Registrar  of  his  Alma 
Mater,  the  University  of  Chicago.  This  was  gladly  accepted 
in  the  hope  that  it  would  afford  him  the  coveted  opportuni- 
ties for  pursuing  his  scientific  studies,  the  taste  for  which 
had  been  rendered  keener  still  by  perusal  of  the  works  of 
Darwin,  Wallace,  Huxley  and  Tyndall.  This  was  in  the 
year  1874.  It  happened  not  long  afterwards  that  the  Uni- 
versity wanted  a  teacher  for  a  class  in  botany,  and  as  the 
young  registrar's  interest  in  the  subject  was  now  Avell 
known  to  the  trustees,  he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the 
class,  which  he  did  with  such  success,  that  in  two  years  he 
was  elected  to  the  chair  of  geology  and  botany.  This 
position  he  held  until  1883,  wdien,  owing  to  differences 
between  the  President  of  the  University  and  himself  on  the 
doctrine  of  evolution,  he  resigned. 

Some  years  previous  to  this  event,  however,  he  had 
been  giving  lectures  on  botany  in  the  Chicago  College  of 
Pharmacy,  and,  as  this  institution  developed  rapidly, 
he  undertook  the  additional  work  of  instruction  in  materia 
medica  and  devoted  now  his  entire  time  to  the  development 
of  these  departments.  One  of  the  results  of  his  work  was 
the  establishment  of  a  botanical  laboratory,  the  first  of  its 
kind  connected  with  an  independent  College  of  Pharmacy 
in  this  country. 


334  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

In  1890  Professor  Bastin  accepted  the  chair  of  materia 
medica  and  botany  in  the  Northwestern  University  School  of 
Pharmacy,  where  he  also  organized  a  new  botanical  and 
microscopical  laboratory.  But  this  had  onl}^  just  been 
accomplished  when  he  was  called  to  the  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  to  occupy  the  position  vacated  by  the 
death  of  Professor  John  M.  Maisch.  After  coming  to 
Philadelphia,  in  1894,  Professor  Bastin's  department  was 
extended  by  the  organization  of  a  large  and  thoroughly 
equipped  laboratory  for  the  study  of  micro-botany  and 
pharmacognosy.  The  professor  was  identified  with  the 
purchase  of  the  herbarium  of  the  late  Isaac  C.  Martindale, 
a  collection  especially  rich  in  the  local  plants  of  Phila- 
delphia and  vicinage.  Professor  Bastin  allied  himself  with 
the  botanical  interests  of  Philadelphia,  and,  it  was  to  have 
been  hoped  that  he  would  have  been  spared  to  continue 
with  the  same  energy  his  botanical  labors,  but  after  a  short 
illness  death  claimed  him  on  April  6,  1897.* 

Bibliography. 

1.  ''Elements  of  Botany."     1887. 

2.  "Vegetable  Histology."     1887. 

3.  "College  Botany."     1889. 

4.  "  Questions  on  College  Botany. "     1892. 

5.  "  Laboratory  Exercises  in  Botany. "     1895. 

6.  "A  Fact  Bearing  upon  the  Evolution  of  the  Genus  Cypripedium." 
— Proceedings  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
1883,  310. 

7.  "  Plant  Uairs.''— Western  Druggist,  1884. 

8.  "Sanguinaria  Canadensis." — Pharmacist,  1885. 

9.  "  Starches  of  Eoot  and  Khizome  Drugs."— T/<e  Apothecary,  1893. 

10.  "  Economic  Botany." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1894,  282. 

11.  "  Starches  in  Different  Commercial  Varieties  of  Cacao." — American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1894,  369. 

*  See  Obituary  Notice,  with  cut,  Pliiladelphia  Ledger,  April  7,  1897. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  335 

12.  "Structure  of  Asarum  Cauadeuse." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1894,  574. 

13.  "Structure  of  Geranium  maculatum. — American  Journal  of  Pliar- 
macy,  1894,  516. 

14.  "Structure  of  Heuchera  Americana." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1894,  467. 

15.  ' '  Stucture  of  Podophyllum. ' ' — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1894, 
417. 

16.  "Structure  of  our  Cherry  Barks." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1895,  435. 

17.  "Structure  of  our  Hemlock  Barks." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1895,  356. 

18.  "Structure  of  Veratrum  viride." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1895,  196. 

19.  "Structure  of  Iris." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1895,  78. 

20.  "Some  Further  Observations  on  the  Structure  of  Sauguinaria 
Canadensis." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1895,  4. 

21.  "A  Contribution  to  the  knowledge  of  some  North  American 
Conifer?e.  With  Professor  Henry  Trimble." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1896.     Published  separately  in  pamphlet  form. 

WILLIAM  POWELL  WILSON. 

William  Powell  Wilson,  Sc.  D.,  was  born  October  17, 
1844,  at  Oxford,  in  Oakland  County,  in  the  northern  wilds  of 
Michigan.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm.  When  about 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  employed  in  a  large  agricultural 
implement  manufacturing  establishment,  starting  at  the 
very  beginning,  and  working  gradualh'  upward  from  the 
moulding  room  to  the  more  difficult  operation  of  making 
complex  agricultural  machinery.  During  this  time,  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  Dr.  Wilson  was  self-taught, 
applying  himself  assiduously  to  the  studies  ordinarily  com- 
prised in  a  high  school  course.  At  nineteen  he  taught  his 
first  district  school  in  Michigan.  At  twenty  he  entered  the 
State  Agricultural  College  of  Michigan,  working  his  way 
through  that  institution  for  the  next  two  and  a  half  years. 


336  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

The  sessions  of  the  College  were  held  from  the  first  of 
^larch  until  October,  giving  the  students  an  opportunity  to 
teach  school,  of  which  privilege  Dr.  Wilson  availed  himself, 
teaching  for  the  next  few  years  in  several  different  places. 

In  the  winter  of  1873  he  went  to  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, to  continue  his  botanical  studies,  which  had  been 
begun  in  the  State  Agricultural  College  of  ^lichigan.  In 
1874  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Professor  Goodale,  at 
Cambridge,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Asa  Gray,  with  whom 
Dr.  Wilson  had  studied  the  summer  following  his  resigna- 
tion from  active  teaching  at  Harvard  University.  In  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1874  he  worked  constantly  in  a 
private  laboratory  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Asa  Gray, 
who,  during  the  years  from  1873  to  1878,  gave  the  young 
botanist  some  of  the  most  valuable  lessons  and  suggestions 
which  came  from  any  source  whatsoever. 

Dr.  Wilson  remained  at  Cambridge  until  the  close  of 
the  college  year  of  1878,  occupying  the  position  of  assistant 
under  Professor  Goodale,  at  the  same  time  doing  a  great 
deal  of  teaching  and  tutoring  outside.  During  the  time 
that  he  w^as  at  Cambridge  he  took  various  studies  in  the 
University,  at  the  Agassiz  Museum  in  Zoology.  During  two 
years  of  this  time  studies  were  carried  on  in  chemistry,  in 
physics,  and  in  modern  languages,  so  that  in  1878,  when  he 
left,  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  was  granted  him 
from  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School. 

In  the  summer  of  1878  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
visited  England,  France,  and  in  the  fall,  Germany,  where 
he  matriculated  at  the  University  of  Gottingen.  He 
remained  at  Gottingen  until  the  spring  of  1879,  when  he 
went  to  Naples  and  matriculated  at  the  University  there, 


WILLIAM    P.    WILSON. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  337 

attending  the  lectures  in  mineralogy  and  botany  of  Pro- 
fessor Chisati,  a  celebrated  systematic  botanist  of  that  day. 
Returning  in  the  summer  to  the  University  of  Berlin, 
Dr.  Wilson  matriculated  there  for  one  semester.  In  Ger- 
many he  attended  the  lectures  of  Grisebach,  the  greatest 
geographical  botanist  of  the  world  at  that  time,  also  those  of 
Professors  0.  Drude  and  Reinke.  In  Berlin  he  placed  liim- 
self  under  Schwenclener,  working  in  his  laboratory  on  some 
of  Wiesner's  experiments  on  light,  securing  his  apparatus 
from  Professor  Helmholtz's  laboratory.  During  the  vacation 
periods  Dr.  Wilson  visited  Sachs,  at  Wurtemburg  ;  Niigeli, 
at  Munich,  and  in  the  winter  of  1879  and  1880  matriculated 
in  the  University  of  Tubingen,  under  Dr.  William  Pfeffer, 
pursuing  work  under  his  direction  along  physiological  lines. 
In  July  of  1880  he  took  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science  at 
Tubingen,  with  honors.  In  the  winter  of  1880  he  came 
home  to  America,  remaining  one  month,  when  he  returned 
to  Tubingen,  upon  the  invitation  of  Dr.  Pfeffer,  to  carry  on 
some  special  lines  of  work  there.  Returning  to  America  in 
1882,  many  flattering  offers  were  tendered  to  him  from  the 
West  and  Southwest. 

Mrs.  Wilson,  being  in  delicate  health,  Dr.  Wilson  spent 
part  of  the  intervening  time  with  her  in  the  South  during 
the  winter  months.  Several  years  after  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Wilson,  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Langdon  Williams,  Head 
of  the  Department  of  Natural  History,  Girls'  Normal  School 
of  Philadelphia.  In  the  middle  of  the  winter  of  1886 
Dr.  Wilson  was  appointed  Professor  of  the  Anatomy  and 
Physiology  of  Plants  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Professor  Wilson,  during  his  vacations,  spent  consider- 
able time  in  Florida,  where  he  w^as  enabled  to  study  the 


338  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

peculiar  sub-tropical  flora  of  that  State.  His  studies  upon 
the  bald  cypress  of  the  Florida  swamps  are  especially  note- 
worthy, as  combining  both  morphological  and  jDhysiological 
research.  He  clearly  demonstrated,  both  by  experiments  in 
the  greenhouse,  and  by  a  microscopic  study  of  the  peculiar 
knees  produced  on  this  tree  and  on  other  plants  living  or 
grown  under  similar  conditions,  that  the  protuberances  on 
the  roots  are  breathing  organs,  and  are  produced  in  direct 
response  to  the  action  of  the  environment. 

His  original  work — teaching  and  direction  of  the  Ijio- 
logical  school  at  the  University,  to  which  he  was  appointed 
on  the  death  of  the  venerable  scientist,  Dr.  Joseph  Leidy — 
occupied  fully  his  time  until  1893,  when  Professor  Wilson 
made  the  proposition  to  one  or  two  public-spirited  gentle- 
men on  September  7,  1893,  to  procure  from  the  foreign 
exhibitors  at  the  AVorld's  Columbian  Exhibition  the  fine 
collections  which  had  been  so  carefully  gathered  together 
for  exhibition  purposes.  Later,  City  Councils  took  hold  of 
the  matter,  and  with  an  appropriation  of  §10,000,  Dr. 
Wilson,  resigning  the  Directorship  of  the  Biological  School, 
went  to  Chicago  and  succeeded  in  securing  a  vast  collection 
of  various  oljjects  from  Mexico,  Costa  Rica,  Guatemala, 
British  Guiana,  Ecuador,  and  various  Soutli  American, 
European  and  Asiatic  States.  Dr.  Wilson  succeeded  in 
organizing  a  vast  museum  of  economic  products  during  the 
two  years'  leave  of  absence  granted  to  him  by  the  Univer- 
sity— a  museum  occupying  the  former  offices  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Compan}^  with  a  floor  space  of  some 
200,000  square  feet.  As  Director  of  this  Museum,  Dr. 
Wilson's  time  is  very  fully  occupied  with  the  executive 
work  of  the  institution,  so  much  so  that  he  resigned  his 
professorship  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  339 

As  a  teacher,  Dr.  Wilson  always  reinforced  his  lectures 
by  laboratory  exercises,  conspicuous  for  the  wealth  of  illus- 
tration. His  methods  were  modern  and  his  lectures  clear 
and  forcible.  As  a  lecturer  Dr.  Wilson  had  a  pleasant 
style  of  address,  which  at  once  won  the  attention  of  his 
hearers.  As  an  investigator,  Dr.  Wilson's  methods  were 
exhaustive  and  painstaking.  He  never  considered  a  piece 
of  work  finished  until  he  had  thoroughly  worked  over  the 
whole  subject  and  the  literature. 

Dr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia ;  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society ;  of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society ;  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association ;  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Sciences,  and  other 
scientific  bodies. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  tlber  intramolekiilare  Athmuug, "  1881-1882.  Researclies  carried 
on  in  Pfeffer's  Laboratory. 

2.  "On  the  Cause  of  the  Excretion  of  Water  on  the  Surface  of 
Nectaries."     ( Dissertation  for  Degree)  1881. 

3.  "  Eespiration  in  Plants." — American  Journal  of  Science^  3rd  series, 
XXIII  :  423. 

4.  "The  Production  of  Aerating  Organs  on  the  Roots  of  Swamp  and 
other  Plants." — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  1889  :  67. 

5.  "The  Influence  of  External  Conditions  on  Plant  Life. " — Biological 
Lectures,  Wood's  Holl,  1893  :  163. 

6.  "Summer  Schools  in  Botany." — Unircrsify  Extension,  1891  :  108. 

7.  "  Report  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  Establishing  City  :Museums, 
1894. 

8.  "Observations  on  Epigiea  repens,  'L.^'— Contributions  to  Botanical 
Laboratory  of  the   University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  56.     Plate. 

9.  "Preliminary  Observations  on  the  Movements  of  the  Leaves  of 
Melilotus  alba  L.  and  other  Plants."  Assisted  by  J.  M.  Greenmau — Contri- 
butions of  Botanical  Laboratory  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  QQ.  With 
plates. 


oJtO  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PPIILADELPHIA. 

10.  "The  Bald  Cypress. "—i^ore.s^  Leaves,  II  :  110.     Plate. 

11.  "The  Palmetto  of  the  Southern  States.  "—Foms^  Leaves,  III:  53. 
Plate. 

12.  "  Dwarf  Trees.''— Forest  Leaves,  III  :  70. 

13.  Eeview.  "  Leitfaden  der  Botanischeu  Mikroskopie.  AV.  Behreiis. 
Torrey  Bulletin,  XVIII  :  88. 

14.  Keview.  "  Ueber  Schutzmittel  des  Laubes  gegen  Transpiration 
besonders  in  der  Flora  Javas. "  A.  F.  W.  Schimper. — Torrey  Bulletin, 
XVIII  :  217. 

15.  Eeview.  "  Introdnctiou  to  Botany."  Volney  M.  Spaulding. — 
Science,  N.  S.,  1 :  496. 

16.  ' '  On  the  Relations  of  Sarracenia  irarpurea  to  Sarracenia  variolaris. 
— Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  1888  :  10. 

17.  "  Remarks  on  Death  of  Professor  Asa  Gray." — Proceedings  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  1888  :  67. 

18.  "On  the  Use  of  Bambusa  Stem  in  Incandescent  Electric  Lighting." 
Proceedings  Academy  of  Xaturat  Sciences,  1889  :  129. 

C.  D.  FRETZ. 

C.  D.  Fretz,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  16,  1844.  He  acquired  all  that 
was  to  be  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  the  county ; 
attended  several  terms  at  an  academy  at  North  Wales, 
Pennsylvania,  and  prepared  himself  for  the  profession 
of  a  teacher.  He  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years, 
during  wdiich  time  he  accjuired  a  taste  for  the  study 
of  botany,  which  he  pursued  with  ardor,  and  which 
has  afforded  him  the  only  recreation  during  a  long  and 
successful  career  in  the  medical  profession.  AVhile  engaged 
in  reading  medicine  with  his  preceptor,  Dr.  J.  S.  Moyer,  now 
of  Quakertown,  Pennsylvania,  who  was  then  preparing  a 
catalogue  of  the  Bucks  County  plants,  he  became  deeply 
interested  in  the  work,  and  assisted  him  in  exploring   the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  341 

upper  and  middle  districts,  and  making  extensive  collections 
for  a  future  herbarium.  The  catalogue  was  published  in 
1876,  and  is  the  only  one  extant  of  its  rich  and  varied 
flora. 

In  March,  of  1868,  he  graduated  from  tlie  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  imme- 
diately located  at  Sellersville,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  still 
resides.  Here  he  continued  to  devote  much  of  his  leisure 
time  to  the  exploration  of  the  nearby  trap-rock  region  and 
the  adjoining  swamps,  and  also  to  making  frecj[uent  excur- 
sions into  other  parts  of  the  county,  notably  the  lower  end,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Bristol.  This  latter  region  was  found  espe- 
cially interesting  from  the  similarity  of  its  flora  to  that  of  the 
swamps  and  barrens  of  South  Jersey,  and  furnished  many 
new  and  rare  plants.  From  collections  made  in  difl'erent 
parts  of  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  New  York,  together 
with  exchanges  and  purchases,  he  gradually  acquired  the 
greater  portion  of  the  plants  of  the  eastern  and  southern 
United  States,  a  total  of  about  5000  species  and  varieties. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  Bucks  County  Catalogue, 
he  has  added  about  fifty  new  plants,  the  rarest  of  which 
are  :  Carex  grisea  Wahl  var.  rigida,  Bailey — new  to  science 
and  probably  a  good  species — Ranunculus  abortivus  L.  var. 
micranthus,  Gray — new  to  the  State  Flora ;  Isoetes  Engelmanni 
Braun,  Lemna  trisulca  L.,  Callitriche  deflexa  Braun,  var. 
Austini  Hegelm,  Sium  Carsonii  Durand,  Valerianella  Wood- 
siana  AValf,  var.  patellaria,  Gray,  Pentstemon  lavigatus 
Solander,  Crepis  tedorum  L.,  Coreopsis  discoidea,  Torr  and 
Gray,  Bromus  Kalmii,  Gray,  Plantago  Patagonica  Jacq,  var. 
aristata,  Gray,  Solanum  rostratum  Dunal,  Carex  torta  Boott, 


342  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Eragrostis  Purshii  Schrader,  etc.  With  his  knowledge  of 
Bucks  County  plants,  Dr.  Fretz  has  underway  a  complete 
revision  of  the  "  Catalogue,"  which  will  shortly  be  repub- 
lished. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club, 
the  Pennsylyania  Forestry  Association  and  other  societies. 

GEORGE  REX. 

Dr.  George  Rex  *  was  born  at  Chestnut  Hill,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  in  his  fiftieth  year.  He  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Uniyersity  of  Pennsylyania,  and  during  his 
earlier  life  was  Assistant  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  in  that 
institution.  He  was  a  member  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  and  other  medical  societies. 

Dr.  Rex  f  became  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  in  January,  ISSl,  and  in  December,  1881,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Microscopical  Section.  He  seryed  as 
its  Conservator  from  November  3,  1890,  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Rex  was  the  highest  authority  on  the  Myxomycetes 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  his  enthusiastic  study  of  this 
group  that  first  brought  him  to  the  Academy,  aud  his  com- 
munications on  this  subject  formed  an  interesting  part  of 
nearly  every  meeting.  He  was  the  author  of  a  number 
of  species,  which,  owing  to  his  extreme  conservatism,  will 
doubtless,  continue  to  bear  his  name.  Many  forms, 
new  to  him,  remained  in  his  collection  unnamed  for  years, 
and  were  only  published  when  he  had  thoroughly  con- 
vinced himself  that  they  w^ere  really  new  to  science.     His 


*  See  Ledger,  February  5,  1895,  for  obituary  notice.      A  framed  photograph  of 
Dr.  Rex  hangs  in  the  herbarium  room,  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 
1 1895.     Proceedings  of  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  40. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  343 

collection  of  Myxomycetes,  presented  by  his  sister,  reposes 
within  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelpliia. 
Although  he  was  interested  principally  in  the  Myxomy- 
cetes, he  was  an  earnest  student  of  the  lower  orders  of  fungi, 
and  an  ardent  admirer  of  everything  beautiful  in  micros- 
copic nature. 

Dr.  Rex  was  a  faithful  and  tireless  worker,  and  those 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  as  fellow-student  and 
colleague,  could  not  fail  to  appreciate  his  genial  disposition 
and  his  faithfulness  in  friendship. 

As  a  professional  man  his  work  brought  him  into  all 
grades  of  life,  and  it  is  especially  among  the  poor  and  needy 
that  may  be  found  to-day  a  sincere  and  heartfelt  grief, 
which  constitutes  his  only  reward  for  many  hours  of  toil. 
He  had  been  a  practitioner  in  Philadelphia  about  twenty- 
five  years,  and  was  highly  esteemed  within  the  profession. 
Durino'  the  Civil  War  he  was  an  eno-ineer  in  the  United 
States  Navy. 

One  sister  and  four  brothers — Miss  L.  M.  Rex,  the  Rev. 
Henry  L.  Rex,  ex-Register  of  Wills ;  Walter  E.  Rex  and 
Alfred  C.  Rex,  all  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dr.  T.  A.  Rex,  of 
Pittsburg,  survive  him.  He  died  suddenly  on  the  morning 
of  February  4,  1895,  of  heart  trouble. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  Siphoptychium  Casparyi." — Botanical  Gazette,  IX-X  :  176. 

2.  ' '  The  ]Myxomycetes,  their  Collection  and  Preservation. ' ' — Botan teal 
Gazette,  IX-X  :  290. 

3.  "  Eeview.  Die  Pilzthiere  oder  Schleimpilze,  nach  dem  neuesten 
Standpunkte  Ijearbeitet.     Dr.  W.  Zopf. 

4.  "Notes  on  the  Development  of  Tubulina  cyliudrica  and  Allied 
Species  of  Myxomycetes." — Botanical  Gazette,  XV  :  315. 

5.  "On  the  Genns  Ijindhladia.^'— Botanical  Gazette,  XVI  :  201. 


344  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

6.  "  New  American  Myxomycetes. " — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natuml 

Sciences,  1891  :  335,  389. 

7.  "  Hemiarcyria  clavata,   Pers." — Proceed inr/s   Academy   of  Natural 

Sciences,  1891  :  407. 

8.  ''New  North   American   ]\Iyxomycetes. — Proceedings  Academy   of 
Natural  Sciences,  1893  :  280,  364. 

9.  "  DiacluTca  Thomasii." — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
1894  :  289. 

10.  "Notes  ou  Cribraria  minutissima  and  Licea  minima." — Botanical 
Gazette,  XIX  :  397. 

11.  "The  Banded-spore  Trichias." — Journal  of  Mycology,  II  :  85. 

CLEMENT  BELTON  LOWE. 

Clement  Belton  Lowe  was  born  in  Salem,  New  Jersey, 
in  1846.  After  a  term  of  study  in  the  schools  of  Salem,  the 
young  man  entered  Bucknell  College  at  Lewisburg,  gradu- 
ating in  1865  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 
Intending  to  become  a  civil  engineer,  j\Ir.  Lowe  then 
entered  the  Philadelphia  Polytechnic  College,  but,  because 
of  ill-health,  was  compelled  to  relinquish  the  course.  In 
the  following  year,  1867,  he  purchased  the  drug  store  at 
Ninth  and  \i\\Q  Streets,  in  connection  with  William  Lip- 
pincott.  Some  years  later  he  purchased  his  partner's 
interest,  continuing  the  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
C.  B.  Lowe  &  Company,  until  about  two  years  ago. 

In  1882  he  entered  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy, graduating  in  1884.  He  was  made  in  1885  a  quiz- 
master to  the  alumni  association  quiz,  and  in  1887  was 
appointed  assistant  to  Professor  Maisch  and  quiz-master 
to  the  college  review  quizes,  occupying  this  position  until 
the  death  of  Professor  Maisch.  On  the  election  of  Professor 
Bastin  he  was  appointed  his  assistant,  and  afterwards  elected 
Instructor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Botany.  With  a  view  to 
increasino'  his  usefulness  as  a  teacher,  he  attended  lectures 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  345 

at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  graduating  in  1887.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Alumni  xVsso- 
ciation  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  for  over 
ten  years,  President  of  the  Association  for  the  college  year 
1888-89,  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Social  Meet- 
ings for  five  years,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Bucknell  Alumni 
Society  of  this  city.  On  the  death  of  Professor  Bastin,  ^Ir. 
Lowe  was  elected  Professor  of  Materia  ^ledica  in  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  and  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Pharmaceutical  Associations,  and  is  Chairman  of 
the  State  Association's  Committee  on  Adulterations.  Among 
his  literary  work  should  be  mentioned  a  book  entitled, 
"  Syllabus  of  the  Botanical  Natural  Orders,"  tAvo  editions  of 
which  have  been  published  by  and  sold  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy.* 

HUGO  BILGRAM. 

Hugo  Bilgram  was  born  in  ]\Iemningen,  Bavaria,  in 
1847,  and  graduated  as  a  mechanical  engineer  at  Augsburg. 
He  immigrated  to  this  country  in  1869,  being  employed  by 
the  then  celebrated  ojDtician,  Joseph  Zentmayer,  between 
1870-1874,  where  he  familiarized  himself  with  the  con- 
struction and  use  of  the  microscope.  Through  ]Mr.  A\^m.  C. 
Stevenson,  Jr.,  he  became  interested,  as  an  amateur,  in 
mycology,  especially  the  Myxomycetes.  His  work  in  this 
line,  however,  has  been  confined  to  making  a  private  collec- 
tion, and  supplying  Mr.  J.  B.  Ellis,  of  Newfield,  New  Jersey, 
with  a  number  of  species  for  his  exsiccata  of  American 
Fungi.  His  collection  of  slime  moulds,  neatly  arranged  in 
boxes,  is  not  surpassed  by  any  other  collection  in  the  city. 

*  Philadelphia  Ledger,  Maj-  5,  1897,  with  cut. 


346  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

WILLIAM  CLARK  STEVENSON. 

AVilliam  Clark  Stevenson,  Jr.,  was  born  December  7, 
1848,  at  Pbilaclelphia.  He  attended  the  public  schools, 
Rugby  xlcademy  and  Polytechnic  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
From  1870  to  1880,  Mr.  Stevenson  was  in  the  wholesale 
drug  business,  and  in  the  paper  box  trade  (Novelty  Paper 
Box  Compaii}^)  from  1881  to  1894. 

Mr.  Stevenson  is  more  especially  interested  in  mycol- 
ogy, and  has  a  mycological  herbarium  of  some  5500 
species,  mostly  of  his  own  collecting,  from  Philadelphia, 
Chester  and  Delaware  Counties,  Penns^ylvania. 

A  paper  entitled  "Additions  to  Mr.  Cooke's  Paper  on 
the  Valsei  of  the  United  States  "  appeared  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  April,  1878,  pp.  8(3-88, 
and  was  the  result  of  an  examination  of  the  Schweinitzian 
types  in  the  Academy  herbarium.  He  has  been  a  life-long 
friend  of  Mr.  J.  B.  Ellis.  He  has  prepared  a  manuscript 
card  catalogue  of  references,  mostly  American,  bearing 
upon  mycology.  His  habitat  list,  and  list  of  plant  diseases 
due  to  fungi,  is  very  complete  and  full,  and  deserves  publica- 
tion by  some  learned  society.  The  host  plants  are  very  care- 
fully catalogued,  as  also  the  parasites  which  prey  upon  them. 

Mr.  Stevenson  is  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  the  Photographic  Society  of  Philadelphia  and 
Societe  Beige  de  Microscopic,  of  Brussels,  Belgium. 

ROBERT  G.  BECHDOLT. 

Robert  G.  Bechdolt,  son  of  William  L.  and  Lizctta 
Bechdolt,  was  born  December  26,  1848,  at  Knealingen, 
Baden,  Germany,  and  four  years  afterwards  came,  with  the 
rest  of  the  family,  to  the  United  States,  locating  at  Easton, 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  attended  the 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  347 

public  schools  until  the  age  of  ten,  when  he  was  taken 
clown  with  a  severe  attack  of  scarlet  fever,  leaving  him  an 
invalid  for  many  years  thereafter.  Upon  the  advice  of  liis 
physician,  he  was  directed  to  follow  out-door  occupations. 
He  devoted  his  time  as  it  seemed  to  agree  with  him  best, 
roaming  the  hills  and  valleys  in  search  of  natural  liistory 
specimens  such  as  birds,  plants  and  animals,  which  he 
collected  without  the  knowledge  of  method  of  determining 
their  species. 

In  due  time  his  father  engaged  him  to  a  nurseiyman, 
Mr.  Charles  Davis,  of  Warren  County,  New  Jersey,  a  friend 
of  the  family,  who  took  a  great  interest  in  him,  and  often  in 
his  absence  entrusted  his  property  to  his  care,  and  when 
Mr.  Davis  disposed  of  his  nursery,  Mr.  Bechdoldt  engaged 
himself  in  a  minor  position  at  Lafayette  College,  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  where  in  due  time  he  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Dr.  Green,  Dean  of  the  Pardee  Scientific  School,  through 
wdiose  kindness  he  was  given  entrance  to  all  the  scientific 
departments  of  the  college.  In  1865  he  was  quite  successful 
in  finding  a  number  of  rare  plants,  as  well  as  being  the  first 
to  notice  the  coral  fossils  in  the  glacial  drift  of  college  hill. 
Through  the  influence  of  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Porter  and  his 
assistant,  the  late  Dr.  A.  P.  Garber,  he  was  guided  in  his 
botanical  researches,  in  which  he  was  quite  successful  in 
the  finding  of  rare  and  new  species  of  plants. 

His  parents  having  purchased  a  small  farm  in  Seiders- 
ville,  a  village  about  three  miles  south  of  South  Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania,  he  moved  there  with  them  in  1871.  In  1872 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  South  Bethlehem  Natural 
History  Association,  and  during  his  membershij:)  the 
following     papers     were     brought     before     the     society : 


348  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

(1)  "Accumulation  of  Plant  Life  at  the  Equator,  Causes,  etc." 

(2)  "  The  Lower  Forms  of  Animal  Vision  traceable  to  that 
of  Plant  Life."     (3)  '^  Migration  of  Plants." 

On  April  15,  1873,  Mr.  Bechdolt  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Chemical  and  Natural  History  Society  of  Lehigh 
University,  at  South  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
made  Curator,  November  3,  1873.  In  August,  1874,  he  was 
sent  by  the  latter  society  on  a  collecting  trip  to  Key  West, 
Florida,  and  to  the  southern  portion  of  the  State  of  Texas, 
returning  in  the  year  1875,  when  he  was  again  requested  to 
make  a  trip  to  explore  the  Amazon  region  in  Brazil,  South 
America.  The  specimens  collected  on  this  trip  consisted 
mostly  of  plants  and  zoological  specimens  and  Indian 
utensils  of  the  tribe  Tapnios.  From  one  of  the  medicine 
men  of  the  latter  tribe  he  secured  the  skeleton  of  the  rare 
bird  Palamedea  carnuta  and  the  silicious  sponge  from  the 
bottom  of  the  mouth  of  the  Tapajos  River. 

At  present  Mr.  Bechdolt  is  farming  in  the  vicinity  of 
Seidersville. 

LEWIS  PALMER. 

Lewis  Palmer,  father  of  T.  Chalkley  Palmer,  President 
of  the  Delaware  County  Institute  of  Science,  was  a  good 
botanist,  especially  familiar  with  the  oaks. 

EDMUND    Y.  McCALLA. 

Edmund  Y.  McCalla  was  a  close  student  of  botany,  his 
books  and  his  rambles  in  the  field  constituting  his  chief 
enjoyment  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  His  interest 
and  his  energies  were  devoted  particularly  to  Fairmount 
Park ;  he  knew  every  foot  of  its  three  thousand  acres,  and 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  349 

his  love  for  the  trees  and  wild  flowers  amounted  almost  to 
a  passion.  His  pleasure  was  never  selfish,  and  years  of 
hard  labor  were  devoted  by  him  to  the  propagation  of  rare 
species  of  plants  in  different  parts  of  the  Park.  He  loved 
the  work  for  its  own  sake,  his  reward  being  the  success  of 
his  efforts.  He  was  often  misunderstood,  his  work  tliwarted 
and  undone,  but  he  laughed  merrily  over  his  difficulties, 
and,  with  apparently  unlimited  patience  and  good  nature, 
did  the  work  over  again.  Plants  that  were  rare  in  the 
Park,  he  introduced,  bringing  seeds,  roots  or  young  plants 
from  other  localities.  He  brought  plants  from  the  seaside  ; 
he  introduced  Coreopsis  senifolia  which  comes  from  the 
South,  and  he  planted  in  several  places  the  winter  aconite, 
ErantJds  hyemalis. 

But  his  greatest  work  was  in  the  planting  of  trees. 
One  fall  he  gathered  at  Bartram's  Garden  300  acorns  of 
the  mossy-cup  oak  {Quercus  macrocarpa),  which  he  dis- 
tributed all  over  the  Park.  Young  trees  were  culled  out 
from  places  where  they  could  not  thrive  and  were  trans- 
planted to  favorable  sites,  and  the  growing  trees  were  ten- 
derly watched  and  cared  for  as  though  they  were  in  a 
private  garden.  During  the  last  six  years  of  his  life  Mr. 
McCalla  devoted  his  energies  almost  exclusively  to  the  top 
of  "  Tunnel  Rock  "  in  the  East  Park.  His  first  work  was 
the  planting  of  trees,  but  his  plan  expanded  as  he  saw  the 
success  of  his  labors ;  flower  beds  were  laid  out  and  culti- 
vated, noxious  weeds  were  rooted  out,  so  that  gradually  the 
place  assumed  the  aspect  of  a  garden,  from  having  been 
the  most  barren  spot  in  the  Park.  The  labor  involved  was 
enormous,  for  soil  and  water,  as  well  as  fertilizer,  had  to  be 
carried  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  Mr.  McCalla  had  no 


350  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

assistance.  He  was  killed  ^diile  walking  across  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  track  at  this  point,  by  being  struck  by  a 
train,  on  July  11,  18S9. 

Mr.  McCalla's  personal  infirmity,  his  extreme  deafness, 
naturally  limited  the  circle  of  his  intimates,  but  to  those 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  know  him  well,  he  was 
recognized  as  a  brave,  pure-minded,  upright,  unselfish  man ; 
an  earnest  and  untiring  student  and  devoted  friend. 

J.  M.  ANDERS. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Anders,  a  prominent  physician  of  the  city, 
can  hardly  be  classed  among  the  botanists  of  Philadelphia. 
He,  however,  deserves  notice  in  this  book  as  the  author  of 
two  papers  dealing  with  subjects  on  the  medical  side  of 
botany.  The  first  paper,  entitled,  "  On  the  Transpiration 
of  Plants,"  published  in  the  American  Naturalist,  March, 
1878,  160,  was  the  result  of  study  and  experimentation 
on  the  plants  grown  in  Horticultural  Hall,  Fairmount 
Park.  His  other  paper,  ''Sanitary  Influence  of  Forest 
Growth,"  was  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia 
County  Medical  Society,  January  29,  1885.  A  book  appeared 
in  1887  on  the  same  subject.* 

CHARLES  HENRY  KAIN. 

Charles  Henry  Kain  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  State,  including 
the  Trenton  Classical  Academy  and  the  New  Jersey  State 
Normal  School,  which  he  left  before  graduating,  in  order  to 
pursue  classical  studies  with  a  view  of  entering  college. 

*  House  Plants  as  Sanitary  Agents  ;  or,  the  Relation  of  Growing  Vegetation 
to  Health  and  Disease,  comprising  also  a  Consideration  of  the  Subject  of  Practical 
Floriculture  and  of  the  Sanitary  Influences  of  Forests  and  Plantations.  By  J.  M. 
Anders,  M.  D.,  Ph.  D.    J.  B.  Lippiucott,  1887. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  351 

This  plan  was  frustrated  by  the  Ijreakiiig  down  of  liis 
health.  He  became  principal  of  the  North  Ward  Grammar 
School  in  Camden,  in  1868,  succeeding  in  that  position 
William  L.  Sayre,  noAv  principal  of  the  Central  Manual 
Training  School.  When  Mr.  Sayre  left  the  Stevens  School 
in  Camden,  Mr.  Kain  took  his  place  there.  In  1874  ^Ir. 
Kain  began  his  work  in  Philadelphia  as  Principal  of  the 
Northwest  Boys'  Grammar  School  at  Fifteenth  and  Race 
Streets,  and  continued  his  work  there  until  the  close  of 
1886,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  Assistant  Superinten- 
dent of  Schools,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  Dr.  MacAllister 
in  November  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Kain  is  an  expert  photographer  and  uses  the 
stereopticon  skillfully.  The  development  of  the  present 
illustrative  movement  in  the  schools  is  largely  due  to  his 
efforts.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  extending  the  work  in 
several  states.  He  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  to 
scientific  work,  particularly  to  microscopy,  and  has  worked 
up  the  diatoms  of  New  Jersey  for  the  state  geological 
survey. 

Mr.  Kain  received  the  dearree  of  A.  M.  from  Lewisburo-, 
now  Bucknell  University,  in  1868.  He  is  President  of  the 
Teachers'  Photographic  Association  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Educational  Club,  the  Teachers'  Institute,  the  New  York 
Academy  of  Sciences,  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  a  corre- 
sponding member  of  the  New  York  Microscopical  Society 
and  an  honorary  member  of  the  State  Microscopical  Society 
of  Illinois. 

His  principal  papers  on  the  diatoms  appeared  in  the 
Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club. 


602  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

1.  "Notes  on  Diatoms.''— XIY  :  25. 

2.  ''Xew  Fossil  Deposits  of  Diatomacei«." — XIV  :  57. 

3.  "  Diatoms,  Raising  them  in  the  Laboratory  "  {JRevieic). — XIV  :  78. 

4.  -'Diatom  Slides."— XIV  :  131. 

5.  "  Notes  on  Diatoms."' — XIV  :  141. 

6.  "Movement  of  Diatoms"  (JRevieic). — XIV:  172. 

7.  "Diatomace^e.      Review  Report  of  the  Challenger  Expedition." 
Part  II.— XIV  :  174. 

8.  "  On  a  Fossil  Diatomaceous  Deposit  from  Oamaru,  New  Zealand." 
—XIV  :  247. 

9.  "  Diatoms  of  Atlantic  City  and  Vicinity.  "—XV  :  128. 

10.  "On  a  Fossil  Marine  Diatomaceous  Deposit  from  Atlantic  City, 
New  Jersey."— XVI  :  71,  207. 

11.  "  Diatomees  Fossiles  du  Japon  "  {JRevieic). — XVII  :  18. 

12.  "Recent  Contributions  to   the  Literature   of  the   Diatomese." — 

XVIII  :  156. 

13.  ' '  Diatoms  :  Their  Life  History  and  their  Classification  ' '  ( Bevieic). — 

XIX  :  27. 

14.  "What  is  a  Diatom."— XIX  :  104. 

15.  "Francis  Wolle."— XX  :  211. 

16.  "De  la  Culture  Artificielle  des  Diatomees"  {JRevieic). — XX  :  259. 

EUGENE  A.  RAU. 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  scientific  papers  and 
notices,  by  Eugene  A.  Ran,  a  botanist  of  Bethlehem,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

1.  "Catalogue  of   North   American   Musci."      Eugene  A.    Rau  and 
A.  B.  Hervey.     Taunton,  1880. 

2.  "Additions  to  the  Habitats  of  North  American  Sphagna." — 
Botanical  Gazette,  IX-X  :  26. 

3.  "  Fungi  Hungarici." — Botanical  Gazette,  IX-X  :  77. 

4.  "  Helonias  bullata  in  Northern  New  Jersey. " — Botanical  Gazette, 
IX-X  :  113. 

5.  "  Manual  of  the  Mosses  of  North  America,  Lesquereux  and 
James"  {Review).— Botanical  Gazette,  IX-X  :  151. 

6.  "A  New  Phallus."— i?o/rtH/caZ  Gazette,  VII-VIII  :  223. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADP:LrniA.  353 

ELIA5  DIFFENBACH. 

Elias  Diffenbach  was  a  compositor  in  the  printing 
office  of  Collins  &  Company.  His  vocation  injured  his 
health  and  he  was  threatened  with  consumption.  Dr.  A. 
W.  Chapman  wrote  from  Apalachiola,  Florida,  that  the  law 
allowed  him  a  deputy  whose  duties  were  nominal  and 
whose  salary  would  be  $1200  a  year.  He  wanted  a  botanist. 
Charles  E.  Smith,  of  Philadelphia,  named  Diffenbach,  who 
at  first  accepted  and  afterwards  declined.  Mr.  Smith  urg-ed 
him  to  accept,  saying :  "If  you  were  a  rich  man  you 
would  spend  a  thousand  dollars  in  going  to  Florida  for  your 
health.  Here  you  are  offered  a  |1000  if  you  will  go."  He 
finally  declined,  and  Saurman  went  in  his  place.  Diffen- 
bach then  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  had  a  brother,  a 
druggist,  with  wdiom  he  worked,  the  next  year  dying  of 
consumption. 

EMILY  L.  GREGORY, 

Emily  L.  Gregory  "^  was  born  at  Portage,  Xew  York, 
December  31, 1841.  Her  early  education  was  had  at  Albion 
Seminary,  from  which  school  she  graduated,  afterward 
teaching  at  Dunkirk  (Fredonia)  Friendship  Seminary.  In 
1876  she  entered  Cornell  University,  where  she  studied 
botany  and  literature,  taking  her  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Literature  in  1881.  She  was  a  teacher  of  botany  at  Smith 
College  from  1881  to  1883,  and  the  following  winter  had 
charge  of  the  laboratory  work  in  botany,  at  the  Harvard 
Annex.  She  went  abroad  in  1883  and  1884,  and  studied 
for  two  years  at  Strassburg,  under  Professor  Wigand,  and  at 

*  1897.      'Torrey   Botanical    Bulletin,  XXIV  :    221,  with   photograph.      The 
main  facts  of  this  sketch  are  derived  from  this  source. 


354  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Zurich  for  one  year,  where  she  received  her  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy  in  1886.  When  she  returned  to  America  she 
taught  at  Bryn  Mawr  College,  as  an  associate  to  Professor 
E.  B.  Wilson,  who  was  then  Professor  of  Biology.  She 
resigned  because  the  position  was  not  congenial  to  her,  and 
during  the  following  winter  was  associated  with  Professor 
W.  P.  Wilson,  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

She  was  appointed  Instructor  in  Botany  at  Barnard 
College  in  the  spring  of  1889,  and  during  the  summer  of 
that  year  she  spent  abroad  studying  with  Professor 
Schwendener  at  Berlin,  purchasing,  as  the  opportunity 
afforded,  microscopes,  charts,  models,  and  books  for  the  new 
laboratory.  The  summer  vacation  of  1893,  1894  and  1895, 
were  likewise  spent  abroad. 

The  botanical  department  at  Barnard  grew  rapidly  in 
popularity  and  in  numbers,  and  it  became  necessary  to 
obtain  the  assistance  of  Miss  Effie  Southworth,  now  Mrs. 
Volney  M.  Spalding,  and  later,  of  Miss  Jane  Howell.  The 
laboratory  collections  consisted  first  of  the  herbarium  of 
Elizabeth  G.  Knight,  to  which  was  later  added  that  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Morong,  purchased  by  funds  raised  by  members  of 
the  Torrey  Botanical  Clul:).  A  fellowship  in  botany  was 
endowed  by  one  of  the  members,  Mrs.  Esther  Herrmann. 

The  laboratory  soon  outgrew  its  quarters  at  343  Madi- 
son Avenue,  and  was  removed  to  a  more  commodious  place, 
on  the  top  floor  of  518  Fifth  Avenue.  Dr.  Gregory  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Botany  in  1896,  and  Dr.  Herbert 
M.  Richards  was  called  to  assist  her.  Together  they  planned 
the  new  courses  and  laboratories  in  Brinckerhoff  Hall,  but 
Dr.  Gregory  did  not   live  to  see  them  completed,  dying  on 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  355 

April  21,  1897.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  the  American  Association  for  tlie  Advancement  of 
Science,  and  a  contributor  to  the  Torrey  Bulletin  and 
Botanical  Gazette. 

"  Personally,  Dr.  Gregory  was  extremely  attractive,  not 
only  for  her  cheery  good  temper,  but  for  her  faculty  in 
making  friends,  and  for  her  kindly  and  personal  interest 
in  all  w4th  whom  she  came  in  contact."  Her  original 
papers  and  reviews,  as  given  in  the  bibliography  in  the 
Torrey  Botanical  Bulletin,  number  thirty-eight  different 
titles ;  omitting  the  reviews,  which  number  twenty-six 
titles,  the  names  of  her  original  contributions  to  botany  are 
here  given  : 

1.  "  The  Pores  of  the  Libriform  Tissue." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XIII  :  197-204  (1886). 

2.  "Death  of  Dr.  Wigand."— 5o/rtH/«/Z  Gazette,  XII:  16  (1887). 

3.  "Systematic  Botany."— 5o/a«{m?  (^rt-sef/c,  XII:  298  (1887). 

4.  "  Notes  on  some  Botanical  Eeading  done  in  the  Laboratory  of  Pro- 
fessor SchT\-endener,  in  Berlin,  June  and  July,  1889." — Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanieal  Club,  XVI  :  297-304  (1889). 

5.  "Notes  on  the  Manner  of  Growth  of  the  Cell  V^^aW.''— Bulletin 
Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XVII  :  247-255  (1890). 

6.  ','  Abnormal  Growth  of  Spirogyra  Cells." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XIX:  75-79  (1892). 

7.  "Anatomy  as  a  Special  Department  of  Botany."  Eead  before 
A.  A.  A.  S.,  Rochester,  1S92.— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanieal  Club,  XX  :  100-107 
(1893). 

8.  "Elements  of  Plant  Anatomy."  Ginn  &  Co.,  Boston,  1895, 
octavo  pp.  V,  148. 

9.  "What  is  meant  by  Stem  and  Leaf." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XXIII  :  278-281  (1896). 

10.  "Development  of  Cork  Wings  on  Certain  Trees." — Botanical 
Gazette,  XIII  :  249,  281,  312  ;  XIV  :  5,  37. 


356  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

JOHN  W.  ECKFELDT. 

John  W.  Eckfelcit,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
January  29,  1851.  His  grandfather  was  Adam  Eckfeldt, 
first  coiner  of  the  United  States  Mint.  His  father,  Jacob 
E.  Eckfeldt,  occupied  the  position  of  Assayer  of  the  ^lint 
at  Philadelphia  from  1832  to  1872.  His  mother  was  Emily 
Levering,  daughter  of  Mark  Levering.  Dr.  Eckfeldt 
received  a  public  school  education,  later  entering  the  Friends' 
Central  School  at  Fifteenth  and  Race  Streets,  and  after- 
wards completing  his  course  of  study  at  the  Lauderback 
Academy,  entering  the  L'niversity  of  Pennsylvania  in 
September,  1869,  and  graduating  in  medicine  March  12, 
1872.  Soon  after  graduating  in  medicine  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Haverford,  Delaware  County, 
remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  soon  gained  an  extensive  business. 
Dr.  Eckfeldt  early  acquired  the  love  for  natural  history, 
devoting  much  of  his  leisure  time  to  the  studies  of  ento- 
mology and  botany,  when  desiring  to  concentrate  his 
efforts  upon  the  latter  science  he  abandoned  the  former. 
His  principal  aim  soon  became  manifest,  for  he  prepared  a 
large  and  valuable  herbarium,  which  became  greatly 
enriched  by  the  aid  of  numerous  correspondents.  His 
attention  was  then  drawn  to  the  cryptogams,  and  his  whole 
devotion  was  given  to  the  then  unexplored  branch  of 
lichenology,  which,  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Tucker- 
man,  was  a  new  field  for  extensive  study  and  research. 

Dr.  Eckfeldt's  literary  work  consists  of  some  short 
papers  and  synopses  of  species.  Among  some  of  these  may 
be  mentioned,  "A  descriptive  Enumeration  of  some  rare 
North  American  Lichens,"  "  Description  of  some  new  North 


JOHN  W.  ECKFELDT. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  6o  t 

American  Lichens,"  "A  further  Enumeration  and  Descrip- 
tion of  some  Lichens  of  the  United  States,"  "An  Enumera- 
tion of  the  Lichens  of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador,  with 
Description  of  new^  and  rare  Species,"  "  On  Alectoria  Cetra- 
riza  NyL,  a  new  species  from  Oregon,"  "^  "  Determination  of 
the  less  conspicuous  and  more  difficult  Species  of  Lichens 
from  Ohio,"  "  Revision  and  Determination  of  the  Lichens  of 
Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,"  "  Determination  of  the 
Lichens  for  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  in  the  Con- 
tribution to  the  Flora  of  Greenland,"  "  Notes  on  the  Lichens 
in  the  Herbarium  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences," 
"  Revision  of  the  Lichens  in  the  Schweinitz  Herbarium," 
"  The  Lichen  Flora  of  Florida,"  "  Revision  of  the  Lichens 
in  the  Geographical  Survey  of  New  Jersey,"  "  Chemical  and 
Medicinal  Properties  of  Lichens,"  "  List  of  the  Lichens  from 
California  and  Mexico,  collected  by  Edward  Palmer," 
"  Determination  of  the  Lichens  from  Southern  Patagonia, 
collected  by  the  U.  S.  S.  Albatross,  1887  to  1891,"  "  List  of 
the  Lichens  from  the  Desert  of  Atakamia,  collected  by 
Thomas  Morong,"  "  List  of  the  Lichens  collected  in  Bolivia, 
by  H.  H.  Rusby,  M.  D."  In  preparation,  "An  Enumeration 
of  the  Lichens  of  British  America,  United  States  and 
Mexico." 

Dr.  Eckfeldt  in  April,  1898,  presented  to  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  his  valuable  collection  of  lichens, 
Avhich  he  spent  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  collecting.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  complete  in  this  country,  only  one  other, 
that  of  the  late  Professor  Tuckermann,  of  Amherst  College, 
approaching  it.  The  collection  contains  upwards  of  4000 
specimens,  including  2800  diiferent  species.     His  collection 

*  Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XVIII :  257. 


358  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

of  ferns,  amounting  in  all  to  some  300  species,  he  presented 
to  the  Botanical  School  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
Dr.  Eckfeldt  is  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia ;  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Delaware 
County  Medical  Societies  ;  West  Philadelphia  Medical  Club  ; 
the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  of  New  York;  the  Philadelphia 
Botanical  Club ;  a  life-member  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
Hospital ;  Alumni  Society  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Medico-Chirurgical  College. 

FRANK  LAMSON=SCRIBNER. 

Professor  Frank  Lamson-Scribner*  was  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1851.  His  family  name  was  Lamson,  but 
having  early  lost  his  parents,  he  was  adopted  into  a  family 
of  the  name  of  Scribner,  living  near  Augusta,  Maine ;  and 
there  he  was  brought  up.  From  his  youth,  Professor 
Scribner  showed  his  natural  bent  for  botanical  pursuits. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen,  while  still  on  the  farm,  he  prepared 
a  treatise  on  the  "  Weeds  of  Maine,"  an  illustrated  pamphlet 
of  sixty-two  pages,  prepared  for  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  his  first  botanical  collections,  made  in  1866  to  1867, 
weve  acc[uired  by  Bowdoin  College. 

In  1870  he  entered  the  State  College  of  Agriculture  and 
the  Mechanic  Arts  at  Orono,  from  which  institution  he 
graduated  in  1873,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  He  lived  in 
Philadelphia  from  January,  1877,  until  May,  1885,  during 
wdiich  time  he  was  an  officer  in  Girard  College.  During 
his  eight  years'  residence  in  Philadelphia,  he  collected  exten- 
sively and  wrote  some  papers  on  grasses  while  there.     As  a 

*  A  portrait  of  Professor  Scribner  appeared  in  The  Graphic,  November  19, 
1S92.    Article  entitled,  "  The  University  of  Tennessee." 


TPIE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  359 

member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  and  as 
Recording  Secretaiy  of  the  Botanical  Section,  he  had  excel- 
lent opportunities  to  pursue  his  favorite  science.  His  botan- 
ical associates,  Dr.  J.  B.  Brinton,  Mr.  Redfield,  Mr.  Isaac 
Burke,  Mr.  Martindale,  were  all  botanists  of  more  than 
local  repute.  Dr.  Rothrock,  of  the  University,  and  Mr. 
Charles  E.  Smith,  were  also  well  acquainted  with  Professor 
Scribner. 

In  May,  1885,  Professor  Scribner  was  appointed  Assistant 
Botanist  in  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and  later  became 
Chief  of  the  Section  of  Vegetable  Pathology.  Afterwards, 
he  accepted  the  Directorship  of  the  Tennessee  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  and  held  the  position  also  of  botanist 
in  the  same  institution,  until  he  was  again  called  to 
Washington  to  become  the  head  of  the  Department  of 
Agrostology,  Department  of  xlgriculture,  founded  through 
the  determination  of  Secretary  Morton  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  capable  agrostologist,  whose  entire  time  should  be 
devoted  to  the  subject  of  grasses.  His  recommendation 
by  such  men  as  Professor  Charles  E.  Bessey,  Professor 
N.  L.  Britton,  Professor  W.  G.  Farlow,  Dr.  John  M. 
Coulter  and  others,  speaks  of  the  scientific  standing 
of  Professor  Scribner  among  his  colleagues.  Professor 
Scribner  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  scientific  societies,  and 
in  1889  he  received  from  the  French  Government,  for  his 
services  in  matters  pertaining  to  viticulture  and  diseases  of 
the  vine,  the  Chevalier's  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Mcrite 
Agricole.  He  has  written  extensively  upon  botanical  sub- 
jects, and  has  one  of  the  largest  private  collections  of  grasses 
in  the  country  (recently  destroyed  by  fire),  numbering 
nearly  5000  specimens. 


360  the  botanists  of  philadelphia. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "Weeds  of  Maine." — Report  Maine  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
1869,  pp.  62.     Illustrated. 

2.  "  Ornamental  and  Useful  Plants  of  Maine,"  Part  I. — Report  JIaine 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  1874,  pp.  85.     Illustrated. 

3.  "A  List  of  Grasses  Collected  by  Mr.  C.  G.  Pringle  in  Arizona  and 
California,  during  the  Summer  of  1881,  with  Descriptions  of  those  Species 
not  already  described  in  American  Publications." — Bulletin  Torreij  Botanical 
Club.  IX  :  74,  86,  103,  145  ;  X  :  29. 

4.  "New  North  American  Grasses." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XI  :  5. 

5.  "Observations  on  the  Genus  Cinna,  with  description  of  a  New 
Species." — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1884, 
239.     Illustrated. 

6.  "A  List  of  Grasses  from  Washington  Territory." — Bulletin  Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  X  :  63,  77.     Illustrated. 

7.  "Agricultural  Grasses  of  Central  Montana." — Proceedings  Society 
Promotion  Agricultural  Sciences,  1883,  12  pp.     Illustrated. 

8.  "Agricultural  Grasses  of  Arizona." — Proceedings  Society  Promotion 
Agricultural  Sciences,  1886,  5  pp. 

9.  "A  Ee^dsion  of  the  North  American  Melica^." — Proceedings  Aca- 
demy Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1885,  40,   1  plate. 

10.  "  A  Contribution  to  the  Flora  of  Kansas— Gramineae." — Proceed- 
ings Kansas  Academy  of  Sciences,  1885,  5  pp. ,  3  plates. 

11.  "Grasses  of   Yellowstone  National  Park,"  I. — Botanical  Gazette, 
XI  :  169. 

12.  "Notes  on  a  Hybrid  Grasii.' '—Botaniccd  Gazette,  IX:    167,  with 
figures. 

13.  "A  New  Eriochloa. "     Vasey  &  Scribner. — Botanical  Gazette,  IX: 
185,  1  plate. 

14.  '' Arizona  Plants.' '—Bota7iical  Gazette,  IX:  186. 

15.  "Some  Arctic  Gravsses,"  with  plate. — Botanical  Gazette,  XI  :  25. 

16.  "  Notes  on  Andropogon." — Botanical  Gazette,  XIII  :  294. 

17.  "List  of  North  American  Andropogonse. " — Bulletin  Torrey  Botani- 
cal Club,  XVI :  233. 

18.  ' '  New  or  Little  Known  Grasses,  "I.     ( Four  species  described  and 
figured. )— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XV  :  8. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  3G1 

19.  "New  or  Little  Known  Grasses,"  II.— 7?m//<>//«  Torrey  Botanical 
Club,  XVII  :  225,  4  plates. 

20.  "The  Grasses  of  Roaue  Mountain."— £o/rt»/caZ  Gazette,  XIV  :  253. 
Illustrated. 

21.  "  Mexican  Grasses. " — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
Philadelphia,  1891,  292,  1  plate. 

22.  "Grasses  of  Mountain  Meadow  and  Deer  Favk^.''— Proceed inys 
Society  for  Promotion  of  Agricultural  Sciences,  1889.  (Reprinted  with  illus- 
trations in  Bulletin  Tenn.  Agr.  Expr.  Station). 

23.  "Index  to  Grass  Names." — Proceedings  Society  for  Promotion  of 
Agricultural  Sciences,  pp.  18,  1890. 

24.  "  The  Grasses  of  Tennessee. "  Fart  I.— Bulletin  Tenn.  Agr.  E.cpr. 
Station,  V,  No.  2,  pp.  89.     Part  II  :  141  pp.,  42  plates.     1894. 

25.  "Mount  Kataadn  and  its  Flora.''— Botanical  Gazette,  XVII  :  46. 

26.  "Weeds  of  the  Farm.''— Bulletin  Tenn.  Agr.  Expr.  Stedion,  I, 
No.  3. 

27.  "The  True  Grasses."  By  E.  Hackel.  Translated  from  Die 
Nediirlichen  Pflanzenfamilien.  By  F.  Lamson-Scribner  and  Effiie  A.  South- 
worth.     8  vo.,  pp.  227.     Henry  Holt  &  Co.,  1890. 

28.  "Fungous  Diseases  of  the  Grape  and  other  Plants  and  their  Treat- 
ment."    12  mo.,  pp.  136.     Illustrated.     J.  T.  Lovett  &  Co. 

29.  "Report  on  the  Fungous  Diseases  of  the  Gr-A^tYiwe.''— Bulletin 
No.  2  Botanical  Dirision  U.  S.  Dept.  Agriculture.     1886,  pp.  136,  plates  7. 

30.  "Black  Rot.  Physalospora  ^\^\.^\ii\\\\."— Proceedings  7th  Annual 
Meeting  Society  for  Promotion  of  Agricultural  Sciences,  1886,  pp.  7. 

31.  "Botanical  Characters  of  Black  Rot.  Physalospora  Bidwelli 
Saec."— Botanical  Gazette,  XI  :  297,  plate  1. 

32.  "New  Observations  on  the  Fungus  of  Black  Rot  of  Grapes." — 
Proceedinejs  9th  Annucd  Meeting  of  Society  for  Promotion  of  Agricultural 
Sciences,  1888. 

33.  "  Successful  Treatment  of  Black  Rot."— /(/em. 

34.  "  Report  on  the  Extent,  Severity  and  Treatment  of  Black  Rot  and 
BroATO  Rot  in  Northern  Ohio,  in  1889."— 5«?/e^/u  No.  11  Botanical  Division 
of  U.  S.   Department  of  Agriculture,  1890,  7  pp. 

35.  "Black  Rot."  Scribner  &  Viala.  Bulletin  No.  7  of  Botanical 
Division  of  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1888,  pp.  29,  plate  1. 

36.  "Report  on  the  Experiments  made  in  1887  in  the  Treatment  of 
the  Downv  Mildew  and  Black  Rot  of  the  Grape  Yhie.''— Bulletin  No.  oof 


362  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

ihe  Botanical  Division   of  U.  S.   Department  of   Agriculture^    1888,    pp.    110. 
Illustrated. 

37.  "Report  on  Experiments  made  in  1888  in  the  Treatment  of  the 
Downy  Mildew  and  Black  Rot  of  the  Grape  Vine." — Bulletin  Ko.  10  of 
Botanical  Division  of  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1889,  6  pp. 

38.  ' '  On  a  New  Fungous  Disease  of  the  Vine.  Greeneria  fuli- 
ginea."  Scribner  &  Viala. — Proceedings  8th  Annual  Meeting  of  Society  for 
Promotion  of  Agricultural  Sciences^  1883. 

39.  ''Fungicides."  Circular  No.  5  of  the  '^Section  of  Vegetable 
Pathology." — U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1887. 

40.  "Notes  on  Orange  Leaf -Scab." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
XIII  :  1>^1. 

41.  "Fungous  Diseases  of  the  Vine  and  their  Remedies." — Proceedings 
of  the  Xew  Jersey  State  Horticultural  Society,  1886. 

42.  "  Observations  the  Past  Season  on  Grape  Rot  and  Mildew." — Pro- 
ceedings New  Jersey  State  Horticultural  Society,  1887. 

43.  "Fungous  Diseases  of  Plants." — An  Address  delivered  before  the 
East  Tennessee  Far)ners^  Convention  at  the  16th  Annual  Meeting ,  1891. 

1885. — "Report  as  Assistant  Botanist  on  the  Fungous  Diseases  of 
Plants,"  10  pp.     Annual  Report  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

1886. — "Report  as  Special  Agent  in  charge  of  the  Mycologieal 
Section,"  31  pp.,  8  plates,  3  maps.  Annual  Report  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture. 

1887. — "Report  as  Chief  of  the  Section  of  Vegetable  Pathology," 
74  pp.,  17  plates.     Annual  Report  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

• '  Fungous  Diseases  of  the  Grape  and  other  Plants ' '  ( with  numerous 
figures),  12  mo.,  134  jDp.  J.  T.  Lovett  &  Co.,  Little  Silver,  New^  Jereey, 
1890  (issued  in  1891). 

1895. — "Grasses  as  Sand  and  Soil  Binders,"  16  px).  Illustrated. 
Repi-int  from  Year  Book  of  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  1895. 

Under  Professor  Scribner's  supervision,  as  Chief  of  the 
Division  of  Agrostology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
have  been  issued  eighteen  bulletins  descriptive  of  grasses. 
Bulletin  3,  "  Useful  and  Ornamental  Grasses  " ;  Bulletin  14, 
"  Economic  Grasses "  and  Bulletins  7  and  17,  "  American 
Grasses,"  (Illustrated)  are  especially  note-worthy  as  from 
Professor  Scribner's  pen. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELrHIA.  363 

In  addition  to  the  above  enumerated  papers,  contribu- 
tions to  horticultural  and  agricultural  papers  may  be  noted, 
especially  to  Colman's  Rural  World,  Maine  Farmer,  Home 
Farm,  and  Orchard  and  Garden.  In  the  last  named  paper 
a  series  of  illustrated  articles  on  the  fungous  diseases  of 
plants  appeared. 

HAROLD  WINGATE. 

Harold  Wingate  was  born  in  1852,  and  was  educated 
at  the  Philadelphia  Central  High  School.  He  became 
interested  in  mycology,  particularly  in  the  Myxomycetes, 
and  during  the  relaxation  from  his  'duties  in  connection 
with  the  International  Navigation  Company,  has  done  much 
collecting  of  the  Mycetozoa.  He  is  the  author  of  various 
papers  on  new  genera  and  species  of  these  interesting  plants, 
and  has  a  collection  containing  the  local  flora  and  types 
from  many  European  authors. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "a  New  Geuiis  of  Myxomvcetes. " — Journal  of  3IycoJo(/y,  II  :  125. 

2.  "  Tilmadoche  comi^acta,  u.  sp." — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  1889  :  48. 

3.  "Notes  on  Euteridium  Eozeanum." — Proceedings  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  1889  :  156. 

4.  "The  Spores  of  the  Myxomycetes, " — Proceedings  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  1889  :  188. 

5.  "  Note  on  Orthotricha. " — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
1889  :  189. 

6.  "  Orcadella  operculata  Wing,  a  New  Myxomycete." — Proceedings 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  1889  :  280. 

HENRY  TRIMBLE. 

Henry  Trimble,  the  son  of  Stephen  M.  Trimble,  was 
born  May  22,  1853,  at  Chester,  Pennsylvania.  In  his  youth 
he  attended    regularly  the  Westtown    Boarding  School  in 


364  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  receiving  a  very  thorough 
general  education  from  that  well-known  school.  He  was 
apprenticed  in  the  drug  business  in  1872,  and  supplemented 
this  equipment  by  the  regular  course  of  study  in  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy,  from  which  he  received  his 
diploma  in  1876.  Later,  he  passed  two  years  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  pursuing  special  studies  in  organic 
and  analytical  chemistry.  On  May  28,  1878,  he  formed  a 
business  partnership  with  C.  W.  Warrington,  with  whom 
for  five  years  he  conducted  a  retail  drug  business  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Callowhill  Streets,  Philadelphia.  In 
1879  he  was  made  asssistant  to  Professor  Sacltler,  at  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  four  years  later 
was  appointed  Professor  of  Analytical  Chemistry  in  the 
college.  In  this  connection  he  served,  and  during  all  the 
time  he  had  charge  of  the  analytical  laboratory,  directing 
many  original  investigations  with  students,  the  results  of 
which  have  been  published  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  partly  under  the  joint  names  of  himself  and 
student,  and  occasionally  in  the  name  of  the  student  alone. 
His  own  investigations  were  directed  largely  to  the  study  of 
the  tannins,  with  which  investigation  his  name  will  cer- 
tainly be  linked  indissolubly  in  scientific  literature.  These 
mvestigations  he  collected  together  in  a  most  valuable  and 
comprehensive  monograph,  "The  Tannins,"  *  of  which  Vol- 
ume I  was  issued  in  1892,  and  the  second  volume  in  1894. 
This  work  was  very  favoral)ly  received  both  in  this  country 
and  abroad.     His  "  Hand-Book  of  Analvtical  Chemistrv," 


*  TTie  Tannins.  A  Monograph  on  the  History,  Preparation,  Properties, 
Methods  of  Estimation,  aiid  Uses  of  the  Vegetable  Astringents.  By  Henry  Trimble, 
Ph.M.  Philadelphia,  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company.  1.1892,  octavo,  pp.16'*.  II,  1894, 
pp.  172. 


HENRY  TRIMBLE. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PPIILADELPHIA. 


305 


first  published  in  1885,  went  through  four  editions  and  has 
been  used  in  a  number  of  schools.  It  is  now  a  part  of  the 
laro-er  "  Text-Book  of  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry,"  which  he 
prepared  with  Professor  Sadtler,  and  which  was  issued  in 
1895. 

Professor  Trimble,  on  March  2Gth,  1894,  was  unani- 
mously elected  Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
to  succeed  Professor  John  :M.  Maisch,  wdio  for  many  years 
had  so  ably  presided  over  the  destinies  of  this  valuable 
journal.  Haverford  College  conferred  on  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  A.  ^L,  in  1895.  He  died  in  August,  1898,  mourned 
alike  by  the  College  and  scientific  world  as  a  conscientious 
worker  and  staunch  friend. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "A  Robust  Pin  Oali.''— Garden  and  Forest,  VII  :  498. 

2.  "On  the  Tanning  Properties  of  the  Bark  of  Three  North  American 
Trees."— GVoY/e?i  and  Forest,  VIII  :  293. 

3.  "  Oil  of  Birch.''— Garden  and  Forest,  VIII  :  303. 

4.  "Salt    and   Sugar  in   Washingtonia    filamentosa." — Garden   and 
Forest,  IX  :  133. 

5.  "The  Tannin   Value  of  Some  North  American  Trees." — Garden 
and  Forest,  IX  :  162. 

6.  "The  Tannins  of  the  Palmettos."— GVoY/e^  and  Forest,  IX:  182. 

7.  ' '  Estimation  of  Quiuia. ' ' — American  Journal  of  Fharmaey,  1877: 536. 

8.  "Oils  of  Peppermint  and  Spearmint." — American  Journal  of  Fhar- 
maey, 1885  :  484. 

9.  "Analysis  of  Phlox  CavoMnn.' '—American  Journal   of  Fharmaey, 
1886  :  479. 

10.  "Bitter   Principles    of    Burdock    Fruit." — American    Journal    of 
Pharmacy,  1888  :  79. 

11.  "Some   Indian   Food   Plants,  Shepherdia  argentina." — American 
Journal  of  Fharmaey,  1888  :  593. 

12.  "Catechu     and     Gambier."  —  American    Journal    of    Fharmaey, 
1888  :  497. 


366  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

13.  "Canaigre." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1889:  395. 

14.  "Some  Indian  Plants  Foods." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 

1889  :  4,  556. 

15.  "  Eupatorium     purpureum." — American    Journal    of    Pharmacy, 

1890  :  73. 

16.  "California  Soap  Plant." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
1890  :  598. 

17.  "Peucedanum  Canbyi." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1890: 281. 

18.  "Some  American  Galls." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1890: 563. 

19.  "  Carum  Gairdneri. " — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1891  :  525. 

20.  "  Purshia  trideutata." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1892:  69. 

21.  "Proximate  Principle  from  Phytolacca  decandra." — American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1893  :  273. 

22.  "Four  Oak  Galls  from  India." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
1894  :  299. 

23.  "Cultivation  of  Ginseng." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
1894  :  399. 

24.  "Oils  of  Wintergreen  and  Birch." — American  Journal  of  Phar- 
macy, 1895  :  560. 

25.  "  Report  on  Tannins." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1895  :  516. 

26.  "Recent  Literature  on  the  Soja  Bean." — American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1.^96  :  309,  350. 

27.  "The  Tannin  of  Some  Acorns." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
1896  :  601,  634. 

28.  "North  American  Coniferse,  with  Professor  Edson  S.  Bastin." — 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1896  :  21,  65,  136,  199,  242,  321,  383,  409, 
554,  642.      Republished  in  pamphlet  form. 

WILLIAM  E.  MEEHAN. 

William  E.  Meelian,  the  oldest  son  of  Thomas  Meehan, 
was  born  at  Holmesburg,  Philadelphia,  August  31,  1853. 
He  was  educated  in  the  private  schools  and  learned  the 
nursery  and  florist  business,  at  the  same  time  taking  an 
active  interest  in  scientific  matters.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Germantown  Natural  History  Society, 
started  in  1868.     This  societv  turned  out  a  number  of  able 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  367 

men,  such  as  Carvill  Lewis,  the  geologist.  In  18S3  he 
abandoned  the  nursery  business  for  literary  pursuits, 
writing  a  number  of  stories  for  different  papers.  He  became, 
in  1886,  a  reporter  on  the  Germantoiun  Gazette,  and  later  its 
editor.  He  became,  in  1887,  a  correspondent  reporter  for  the 
Philadelphia  Ledger  until  1889,  when  he  was  made  an 
associate  editor,  having  charge  of  the  science,  including 
botany.  When  the  relief  expedition  was  sent  out  in  1892  to 
the  assistance  of  Lieutenant  Peary,  who  had  wintered  in  the 
Arctic  Regions,  Mr.  Meehan  went  as  the  botanist,  the  result 
of  his  scientific  work  being  pubhshed  in  the  Proceedings  of 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  j\Ir.  Meehan  contributed 
to  the  Public  Ledger  a  series  of  articles  on  "  Notable  Trees," 
and  has  written  for  various  magazines.  A  large  pamphlet 
of  his  on  "  Fish,  Fishing  and  Fisheries  of  Pennsylvania," 
published  by  the  State,  is  a  vahiable  resume  of  these 
interests  in  the  Keystone  State. 

JOHN  MUIRHEAD  MACFARLANE. 

John  ^luirhead  Macfarlane  was  born  in  1855  at  Kirk- 
caldy, a  busy  manufacturing  town  within  view  of  the 
Scottish  capital. 

He  received  his  early  education  first  at  a  private  school, 
and  later  at  the  High  School  of  his  native  place.  In  1876 
he  matriculated  at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  began 
the  study  of  botany  under  the  late  Professor  John  Hutton 
Balfour,  in  1877.  He  was  Senior  Prizeman  and  Medalist  in 
the  class  of  practical  botany,  and  obtained  honors  in  the 
systematic  class.  At  the  same  time  he  gained  the  Gilchrist 
Prize  for  a  report,  illustrated  by  a  series  of  specimens,  upon 
the  fossil  flora  of  the  Edinburdi  Coal  Fields. 


368  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

In  the  following  year  he  was  asked  to  assist  in  the  class 
of  practical  botany,  and  to  undertake  some  work  in  the 
University  Herbarium.  In  1880  he  graduated  Bachelor  of 
Science,  and  was  appointed  Private  Assistant  to  the  late 
Professor  Dickson,  successor  to  Professor  Balfour  in  the 
chair  of  botany.  This  position  he  retained  till  1888,  when 
he  was  appointed  Principal  Assistant  by  the  University 
Senate. 

In  1881  he  was  chosen  Lecturer  on  Botany  in  the 
Royal  Veterinary  College,  and  was  elected  by  the  committee 
of  St.  George's  College  tutor  to  its  recently  established 
Correspondence  Botany  Classes.  Here  he  was  the  first  to 
introduce  the  system  of  transmitting  numerous  specimens 
at  regular  intervals  for  examination  and  description.  This 
plan  was  continued  by  him  for  seven  years,  and  has  since 
been  largely  adopted  by  similar  institutions. 

In  1883  he  graduated  Doctor  of  Science,  when  he  pre- 
sented a  thesis  on  "  The  Structure,  Division,  and  History  of 
Vegetable  and  Animal  Cells."  Shortly  afterwards  he  was 
made  Superintendent  of  the  large  herbarium  of  the  Uni- 
versity, located  in  the  herbarium  building  at  the  Poyal 
Botanic  Garden.  This  post  he  held  till  1888,  when  he 
resigned  to  aid  in  the  development  of  the  laboratory  and 
museum  departments. 

In  1885  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society 
of  Edinburgh,  and  to  its  "  Transactions  "  he  contributed 
papers  on  botanical  subjects.  In  the  same  year  he  accepted 
the  post  of  Acting  Secretary  of  the  Botanical  Society,  and 
for  six  years  thereafter  he  edited  the  Society's  yearly 
"  Transactions." 

In  1887  the  Committee  of  the  Association  for  the  Uni- 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  3G9 

yersity  Education  of  W^onieii  appointed  liini  lecturer  for 
the  year,  when  liis  class  was  attended  by  sixty-two  students. 
In  1888  he  became  Principal  Assistant  in  the  University, 
and  was  thus  called  on  to  direct  large  classes  in  lecture  and 
laboratory  work.  He  thus  acquired  exceptional  opportuni- 
ties for  fiimiliarizing  himself  with  the  work  of  all  depart- 
ments of  a  large  botanical  school,  situated  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  the  richest  botanic  gardens  in  the  world.  Teaching 
in  the  class-room,  research  in  the  laboratory,  organization 
work  in  the  herbarium  and  museum,  or  demonstration  in 
the  field,  filled  up  the  hours  of  a  busy  life. 

In  the  early  period  of  his  Edinburgh  life  he  amassed 
large  collections  of  fossil  plants,  and  published  a  paper  "  On 
Lepidophloios,  a  Genus  of  Coal  Measure  Plants."  The  fossils 
he  presented  to  the  museum  of  the  botanic  garden,  where 
they  are  now  deposited.  His  studies  on  cell  structure,  on 
pitchered  insectivorous  plants,  on  the  minute  structure  of 
hybrids,  on  dicotyledonous  stems,  and  many  other  topics, 
extended  from  1S83  to  1891,  but  are  only  in  part  published 
as  yet. 

In  1891  the  Research  Committee  of  the  Royal  Society 
voted  him  twenty-five  pounds  to  publish  investigations  on 
hybrid  plants.  His  results  embodied  in  the  "  Transactions 
of  the  Roijal  Society  of  Edinburgh'^  attracted  the  attention 
of  biologists  to  a  large  and  important  field  for  investigation. 
In  the  same  year  he  made  some  remarkable  discoveries 
regarding  the  sensitive  movements  of  the  ^^enus  Fly  Trap, 
which  later  were  laid  before  the  Botanical  Section  at  the 
Washington  meeting  of  the  American  Association.  The 
completed  research  was  published  a  year  later  in  "  Contri- 
butions from  the  Botanical  Laboratory  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania. 


370  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Attracted  by  the  wide  field  offered  for  earnest  workers 
in  this  country,  Dr.  Macfarlane  resolved,  in  the  summer  of 
1891,  to  settle  here,  and  during  the  winter  of  1891  and 
1892  elaborated  several  papers  that  have  since  seen  the 
light.  He  also  conducted  University  Extension  Classes  at 
Lansdowne  and  Haddonfield.  The  interest  of  the  students 
in  these  and  other  centres  was  aroused  ;  natural  history 
societies  were  instituted,  and  all  of  them  affiliated  about 
three  years  ago  as  "  The  Delaware  Valley  Naturalists' 
Union,"  with  a  membership  between  300  and  400. 

In  the  summer  of  1892  he  was  elected  Professor  of 
Biology  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  about 
a  year  later  Professor  of  Botany.  Immediately  on  his 
appointment  to  the  latter  chair,  he  submitted  plans  for  the 
establishment  of  a  botanical  garden  on  the  land  surround- 
ing the  Biological  School.  Various  circumstances  conspired 
to  prevent  the  accomplishment  of  this  till  the  autumn  of 
1894,  when  he  w^as  asked  to  become  Professor-in-Charge  of 
the  Biological  School.  Thereafter,  through  the  fostering 
care  of  Provost  Harrison  and  A'ice-Provost  Fullerton,  the 
work  steadily  advanced,  till  now  the  University  has  a 
suite  of  ten  plant-houses,  a  set  of  seed  pits,  upwards  of 
eighty  beds  devoted  to  the  natural  orders  of  plants,  rock 
gardens,  lily  ponds,  a  hardy  fernery  and  a  small  arboretum. 

With  parties  of  the  botanical  students.  Professor  Mac- 
farlane has  examined  the  flora  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  the 
Alleghanies,  the  southern  states,  as  well  as  the  region  nearer 
Philadelphia.  Extensive  collections  have  been  made,  on 
these  occasions,  for  the  botanic  garden,  and  in  recognition 
of  his  services,  the  University  Trustees  appointed  him 
Director  of  the  Garden  in  June,  1896. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  371 

On  October  10,  1807  was  organized  the  Botanical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  largely  through  the  interest  and 
energy  of  Professor  Macfarlane.  This  Association  has 
already  done  much  active  botanical  work. 

His  published  writings,  in  recent  years,  have  mainly 
been  on  sensitive  plants,  and  on  the  best  methods  of 
organizing  botanical  museums  and  gardens. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh, 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  American 
Philosophical  Society,  and  others. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  Notes  on  the  Action  of  some  Aniline  Dyes  on  Vegetable  Tissues." 
— Transactions  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Edinburgh,  XIV  :  190. 

2.  "On  Lepidophloios,  a  genus  of  Coal  Measure  Plants." — Trans- 
actions of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Edinburgh,  XIV  :  181. 

3.  "  The  Structure  and  Division  of  the  Vegetable  Cell.' — Transactions 
of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Edinburgh,  XIV  :  192. 

4.  "  Obsen-ations  on  Vegetable  and  Animal  Cells."  Part  I. — Trans- 
actions of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  XXX  :  585. 

5.  "  On  the  Distribution  of  Honey -glands  in  Pitchered  Insectivorous 
-plants.''— Nature,  XXXI:  171. 

6.  "On  the  Division  and  Conjugation  of  Spirogyra." — Transactions  of 
the  British  Association,  Aberdeen,  1885,  1088. 

7.  "On  a  Microscopic  Fungus  in  Fossil  Wood  from  Bowling." — 
Transactions  of  the  British  Association,  Aberdeen,  1885,  1088. 

8.  "  On  a  New  Method  of  Preparing  Epidermal  Tissues  of  Pitcher- 
plants." — Transactions  of  the  British  Association,  Aberdeen,  1885,  1088. 

9.  "Observations  on  Pitchered  Insectivorous  Plants."  Part  I. — 
Annals  of  Botany,  III,  1889. 

10.  "Observations  on  Pitchered  Insectivorous  Plants."  Part  II. — 
Annals  of  Botany,  VII,  1893. 

11.  "A  Comparison  of  the  Minute  Structure  of  Plant  Hybrids  with 
that  of  their  Parents,  audits  Bearing  on  Biological  Problems." — Transactions 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh,  XXXVII  :  203,  Plates  1-8,  1892. 


372  THE    BOTAXISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

12.  ''Contributions  to  the  History  of  Dionaa  Muscipula." — Contribu- 
tions from  the  Botanical  Laboratory  of  the  UnivcrMity  of  Pennsylvania^  I  :  7. 

13.  "Botanical  Gardens  and  their  Value." — Alumni  Report  of  the 
Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  XXXII,  February,  1896,  p.  112. 

14.  "  Irrito  Contractility  in  Plants." — Biological  Lectures,  Wood's 
Holl.     Session  of  1893,  p.  185. 

15.  "  Sensitive  Plants  under  Colored  Screens." 

16.  "Observations  on  some^ Hybrids  between  Drosera  filiformis  and 
D.  intermedia." — Contributions  from  the  Botanical  Laboratory  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  II :  87. 

17.  "Proceedings  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania. — Trans- 
actions and  Proceedings  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  111. 

CHARLES  SUMNER  DOLLEY. 

Charles  Sumner  Dolley,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Elyria, 
Lorraine  County,  Ohio,  June  16,  1856.  xls  Professor  of 
Biology  in  Swarthmore  College  during  1885  and  1886,  and 
as  Professor  of  Biology  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
until  1892,  his  main  work  was  in  zoology.  His  botanical 
work  was  crystallized  in  a  ''  Provisional  List  of  the  Plants 
of  the  Bahama  Islands,"  published  in  Proceedings  of  tJie 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia  (1889,  p.  349). 
Since  1892  Professor  Dolley  has  taught  the  biological 
sciences,  particularly  botany,  in  the  Philadelphia  High 
School. 

CHARLES  S.   BOYER.l 

Charles  S.  Boyer  was  of  German  and  French  parentage, 
descended  from  settlers  who  came  to  Montgomery  County 
in  1750.  His  father  was  a  strong  Abolitionist,  who,  as  a 
volunteer  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  after  hard  service, 
died  in  a  Confederate  prison. 

He  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1856,  was  educated  in 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  o/o 

the  public  school,  and  graduated,  with  honor,  from  the 
Central  High  School  in  1.S74.  In  1875  he  entered  the 
Academic  Department  of  Brown  University,  graduating  in 
the  class  of  1879.  At  the  time  of  graduation  Charles  Boyer 
was  honored  with  the  position  of  class  poet.  In  1885 
he  received  from  Brown  University  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
Since  graduation  he  has  been  engaged  in  teaching  mathe- 
matics and  the  classics,  and  is,  at  present,  a  school  supervisor 
of  Philadelphia. 

As  a  boy,  his  botanical  education  was  chiefly  gained 
from  rambles  around  Philadelphia,  his  botanical  collection 
Cjuite  extensively  representing  the  flora  of  Pennsylvania, 
together  with  portions  of  New  England.  But  for  many 
years  Professor  Boyer's  entire  attention  has  been  given  to 
microscopical  work,  more  especially  to  the  group  known  as 
the  Diatomacese.  His  collection  includes  several  thousand 
slides  of  separate  named  forms,  the  result  of  hours  of  work. 
His  librar}'^  includes  as  large  a  number  of  works  on 
DiatomaceEe  as  will  probably  be  found  in  a  private  col- 
lection in  this  country,  the  result  of  many  years  collecting. 

Professor  Boyer's  papers,  thus  far  published,  consist 
entirely  of  contributions  to  scientific  journals,  including 
articles  on  microscopic  technique  in  the  Obfierver,  and  others 
on  the  Diatoms  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club. 
His  papers  on  botany  are :  "  A  Fossil  Marine  Diatomaceous 
Deposit  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida " ;  "  A  Diatomaceous 
Deposit  from  an  Artesian  Well  at  AVildwood,  New  Jersey." 
A  translation  of  the  latter  paper  appeared  in  a  Parisian 
journal,  Le  Diatomiste,  Vol.  11.  "  The  Mounting  of  Diatoms," 
Practical  Microscopy,  January  and  May,  1895. 


374  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

The  work  upon  which  he  is  at  present  engaged  is  a 
"  SynojDsis  of  the  Biddulphoid  Forms  of  the  Diatomace?e, 
with  complete  Descriptions  of  Species  occurring  in  North 
America  and  a  Revision  of  the  Classification."  It  is  nearly 
completed. 

Professor  Boyer  is  a  member  of  the  following  societies : 
American  Microscopical  Society,  Torrey  Botanical  Club  of 
New  York,  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 
Geographical  Club. 

CHARLES  C.  WILLIAMSON. 

Charles  C.  Williamson  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
November  1,  1857,  and  was  educated  in  the  private  schools 
of  the  city.  In  1877  he  graduated  from  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  as  a  mechanical  engineer.  As  a  boy,  he  was 
interested  more  especially  in  entomology,  until  he  became 
absorbed  in  botany,  which  was  taken  up  as  a  side  issue. 
Removing  to  Harrisburg,  during  his  spare  time  he  col- 
lected extensively  about  that  place  and  around  Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania,  where,  after  leaving  Harrisburg,  he  spent 
four  years.  Philadelphia  then  became  his  place  of  resi- 
dence, Mr.  •  Williamson  being  engaged  as  Professor  of 
Drawing  in  Girard  College  and  in  the  Spring  Garden 
Institute.  He  has  taken  several  botanical  trips  to 
Florida,  two  to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  and  to  the 
mountains  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  made  extensive  col- 
lections. The  living  plants  collected  on  the  latter  trip  were 
presented  to  the  Botanic  Garden  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. His  herbarium  numbers  some  2000  sheets.  Mr. 
Williamson  is  a  life  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  and  member  of  the  Botanical  Section. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  375 

HELEN  ABBOTT  (MICHAEL). 

Helen  Abbott  (Michael)  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
December  23,  1857.  She  left  a  musical  career  in  LS.So,  and 
began  her  scientific  studies,  attending  some  lecture  courses 
at  the  Woman's  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  from 
1883  to  1884.  In  188-1  she  passed  final  examinations  in 
anatomy,  pliysiology  and  chemistry.  From  1884  to  1888 
Miss  Abbott  worked  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Phar- 
macy, under  the  direction  of  Professors  Sadtler  and  Trimble. 
In  1888  she  was  married  to  Arthur  Michael,  a  chemist. 
After  her  marriage  she  followed  chemical  studies  and 
investigations  with  Mr.  Michael,  in  their  private  laboratory 
on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  for  four  years.  For  the  last  two  years 
they  have  been  working  at  Tufts  College,  Mrs.  Michael 
working  privately  on  the  glucosides.  Mrs.  ^lichael  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  and  corre- 
sponding member  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  her  papers  on  the  chemical  side  of 
botany  : 

1.  "  Nutritive  Value  of  Condiments." — Polyclinic  Journal,  1883. 

2.  "Analysis  of  the  Bark  of  Fouquieria  splendeus." — Proceed  in  f/s 
American  Association  Advancement  of  Science,  1884,  190.  American  Journal  of 
PJiarmacy,  February,  1885,  81. 

3.  "A  Chemical  Study  of  Yucca  augustifolia. " — Proceedings  American 
Association  Advancement  of  Science,  1886,  125. 

4.  "  Preliminary  Analysis  of  a  Honduras  Plant,  '  Chichipate.'  " 

5.  "Certain  Constituents  of  Plants,  considered  in  relation  to  their 
Morphology  and  Evolution.'' — Botanical  Gazette,  XI:  270. 

6.  "On  Htematoxylin  in  the  Bark  of  Saraca.  Indica." — Proceedimjs 
Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1886,  352. 

7.  "Plant  Chemistry  as  an  Applied  Science." — Journal  Franklin 
Institute,  3rd  Ser.,  XCIV  :  1. 

8.  "The  Chemical  Basis  of  Plant  Form." — Journal  Franlclin  Insti- 
tute. 3rd  Ser.,  XCIV  :  161. 


O/b  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

9.  "  Plant  AnalysivS  as  illustrated  by  the  Production  of  Sugar  from 
Sorghum." — Proceedings  Alumni  Association  American  College  of  Pharmacy, 
1887. 

10.  "The  Chemistry  of  the  Lower  and  the  Higher  Plants." — American 
Kaiuralisf,  1887,  719,  800. 

11.  "The  Occurrence  of  Solid  Hydrocar])ous  in  Plants." — American 
CJirmicalJournal,  X:  439.     (1888.) 

JOSEPH  CRAWFORD. 

Joseph  Crawford  was  born  December  20,  1858,  within 
sound  of  the  water  of  the  Perkiomen,  made  famous  by 
Audubon,  Say,  Wilson,  and  others.  His  early  education, 
until  he  was  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  spent  at 
the  county  schools,  together  with  a  two  years'  course  at  the 
High  School  at  Norristown,  where  he  finished  his  scholastic 
career.  Even  then  his  interest  in  botany  showed  itself. 
He  graduated  in  1884  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy,  where  he  attended  the  lectures  and  studied 
botany  under  the  late  Professor  John  M.  Maisch.  While  a 
druggist  at  Tuckerton,  New  Jersey,  he  collected  plants  in 
that  neighborhood  and  became  much  interested  in  the  flora 
of  New  Jersey.  Entering  business  for  himself  in  Philadel- 
phia, in  1884,  his  botanical  studies  were  carried  on  spas- 
modically until  1892,  when  he  associated  himself  with  the 
late  Dr.  J.  Bernard  Brinton,  accompanying  that  botanist 
in  his  outings.  Through  Dr.  Briiiton,  Mr.  Crawford  became 
interested  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  and  also  of 
the  Botanical  Section. 

He,  with  Dr.  Brinton,  was  instrumental  in  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  which  meets 
monthly  and  has  for  its  object  the  study  of  the  plants  found 
especially  within  a  radius  of  sixty  miles  of  the  city.  As 
Chairman  of  the  Botanical  Committee  of  the  Pennsylvania 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  377 

Pharmaceutical  Association,  Mr.  Crawford  has  entered 
heartily  into  the  i)lan  of  making  a  check-list  of  Pennsyl- 
vania plants,  his  herbarium  containing  many  phmts  of  very 
local  distribution. 

GEORGE  MAHLON   BERINGER. 

George  Malilon  Beringer  was  born  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, February  3,  ISGO,  and  was  educated  in  the  city 
schools,  being  graduated  from  the  Central  High  School  in 
the  year  187G.  He  immediately  began  the  study  of  the 
drug  business  with  the  well-known  firm  of  Bullock  &  Cren- 
shaw, with  whom  he  remained  until  1892,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  store  of  the  late  Albert  P.  Brown,  in  Camden, 
New  Jersey.  He  was  graduated  by  the  Philadelphia  College 
of  Pharmacy  in  18S0,  taking  for  the  subject  of  his  thesis 
"  Citrate  of  Caffeine."  He  began  writing  for  the  American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy  in  1882.  His  papers,  numbering  over 
forty  articles,  are  of  a  very  general  interest,  covering 
formulas  of  practical  pharmaceutical  interest  for  every 
worker  in  the  drug  store,  such  as  syrupus  aurantii.  syrupus 
lactucarii,  tinctura  moschi,  tinctura  strophanthi,  essence  of 
pepsin,  solution  of  malate  of  iron,  mullein  oil,  an  improve- 
ment in  Liebig's  condensers,  phenol  sodique,  and  resin  of 
podophyllum.  In  chemistry,  his  papers  include  "The 
Nature  and  Manufacture  of  Aristol,"  "  Quinine  Bimurias, 
Bromoform,  Determination  of  Melting  Points,"  "  Formula 
for  Liquor  Carbonis  Detergens,"  "The  Four  Chlorides," 
"  Uiig :  Boroglyceride,"  "  Notes  on  the  Oleo-Resins,"  and  a 
paper  on  "  Oil  of  Bay,"  "  Pimenti  and  Cloves,"  "  Hypo- 
phosphorous  Acid,"  "The  Tritration  of  Ammonium  Car- 
bonate," "  Purification  of  Benzin,  Aleates,  Phytoxylin."  and 
one  on  "  The  ^^^lue  of  Ehrlich's  Test  in  Urinalvsis." 


378  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

His  papers  on  the  literature  of  pharmacy  consist  of 
translations,  a  critical  revision  of  the  United  States  Pharma- 
copoea  of  1890,  a  paper  on  ''  The  Apocynacese  in  Materia 
Medica,"  one  on  "  The  Recognition  of  Elixirs  by  the  Pliar- 
macopcea,"  "  Notes  on  the  Rhus  Poisoning,"  "  Notes  on  the 
Genus  Myrica,"  on  "  The  Different  Commercial  Varieties  of 
Vanilla,"  vnth  illustrations;  "Notes  on  Loco  Weeds," 
"  Sophistication  of  Insect  Powder  with  Hungarian  Daisy," 
"  Adulterations  of  Elm  Bark,"  and  also  one  on  "  The  Sophis- 
tication of  Flaxseed  Meal,"  and  a  valuable  paper  on 
"  Expressed  Oil  of  Almonds."  These  all  appeared  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Pliannacy.  The  editor  of  Parrislis 
Pharmacy  received  valuable  assistance  in  the  revision  of 
the  fifth  edition.  He  furnished  a  review  of  the  "  National 
Formulary  "  for  the  Polyclinic,  which  was  reprinted  in  the 
Druggist  Circular  in  1889.  A  supplementary  paper  upon 
"  The  Oil  of  Bay  "  was  published  by  him  in  the  Druggist 
Circular.  He  furnished  an  article  for  the  P/iarmaceutical 
Journal  and  Transactions,  upon  "  Pharmacy  in  America," 
which  appeared  in  January,  1890. 

Mr.  Beringer  has  been  active  as  a  field  botanist,  and 
has  contributed  many  interesting  plants  to  the  Herbarium 
of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club. 

T.  CHALKLEY  PALMER. 

T.  Chalkley  Palmer  was  born  October  23,  1860,  near 

Media,   Pennsylvania ;   the  son  of  Lewis  Palmer,    a  local 
mineralogist  and  botanist.     He  was  educated  at  Westtown 

Boarding   School,   Chester   County,  Pennsylvania,   and  at 

Haverford    College,    Pennsylvania,  graduating   from    the 
latter  in  1882. 


GEORGE  M.  BERING ER. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  379 

Professionally,  he  is  a  chemist,  having,  as  clieniist  of 
the  Sharpless  Dye-wood  Extracting  Company  since  1882, 
paid  especial  attention  to  dyestuffs. 

Since  1874  he  has  been  a  student  of  botany,  his  studies 
being  mostly  confined  to  the  local  flora,  especially  that  of 
Delaware  County.  He  has  been  enabled  to  make  several 
additions  to  the  flora  of  the  county,  contributed  to  the 
records  of  the  Delaware  County  Institute  of  Science,  Media, 
Pennsylvania.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Botanical 
Committee  of  that  society  for  six  years.  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  two  years,  and  President  since  1894,  having  been 
re-elected  in  1894  and  1896.  Lately,  Mr.  Palmer  and  his 
brother,  John  Palmer,  have  interested  themselves  in  the 
study  and  collection  of  diatoms. 

Mr.  Palmer  has  written  several  popular  science  articles 
for  The  Student,  The  Friend,  and  the  Philadelphia  WeeJcly 
American.  A  paper  on  "  Isoetes  Saccharata  "  appeared  in 
the  Botanical  Gazette  for  January,  1895,  and  one  on  "  Respira- 
tion in  Diatoms,"  in  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  1897. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Chemical 
Industry  (British),  the  Society  of  Dyers  and  Colorists 
(British),  Societe  Chimique  de  Paris,  the  Franklin  Institute, 
the  xlcademy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia. 

F.   D.  CHESTER. 

F.  D.  Chester  was  born  October  10,  1801,  and  was 
educated  at  Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  at  Cornell  Universit}^  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
B.S.  in  1882,  and  M.S.  in  1885.  From  1882  to  18S5,  he 
was   Professor   of   Geology   and    Mineralogy   in   Delaware 


380  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

College.  Between  1885  and  1894  he  occnpied  the  chair  of 
geology  and  botany  in  the  same  institution.  During  this 
time  he  was  mycologist  for  the  Delaware  College  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station,  in  connection  with  which  insti- 
tion  he  has  done  most  of  his  botanical  work.  In  1887  he 
was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  ;  in  1889,  a  Fellow  of  the  American 
Geological  Society,  and  1892,  a  member  of  the  Society  for 
the  Promotion  of  Agricultural  Science.* 

IDA  A.  KELLER. 

Dr.  Ida  A.  Keller  was  graduated  from  the  Girls'  High 
School  of  Philadelphia  in  1883.  From  1884  to  1886  she 
was  a  student  in  the  Department  of  Biology  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  year  following  was  assistant 
in  the  herbarium  at  Bryn  j\Iawr  College. 

From  1887  to  1889  Dr.  Keller  was  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Leipzig  with  Professor  Wilhelm  Pfeffer,  the 
leading  plant  physiologist  of  the  day,  and  with  Professor 
Friedrich  Stohmann  in  chemistry.  In  1889  and  1890,  she 
was  a  student  at  the  University  of  Zurich,  where  she  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

The  two  years  following.  Dr.  Keller  was  Lecturer  in 
Botany  at  Bryn  Mawr  College,  and  from  1893  to  the  present 
has  been  Teacher  of  Chemistry  and  Director  of  the  Natural 
History  Department  at  the  Girls'  High  School. 

She  is  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  and  has  undertaken, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  clul),  the  compilation  of  a  "  Flora 
of  Philadelphia  and  Vicinity." 

*  For  Geological  papers  see  Am.  Jour.  Sci.;  Proceedings  of  A.  A.  A.  8.;  Phila. 
Acad.  Nat.  Sci.;  Second  Qeol.  Survey  of  Penna.  and  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey.  For 
botanical  papers  see  Reports  of  Del.  College  Agr.  Expt.  Sta. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PlIILADKLPIIIA.  381 

In  a  paper  *  entitled  "  Notes  on  tlie  Cross-Fertilization 
of  Flowers  b}"  Insects  "  (Proceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences, 
Philadelphia,  1800),  Dr.  Keller  boldly  challenged  the  asser- 
tions of  Darwin  and  others,  that  cross-fertilization  of  flowers 
is  of  utmost  value  to  the  individual  species,  and  supports 
the  contention  of  the  opposing  school  that  the  great  bulk  of 
colored  flowering  plants  are  self-fertilized ;  that  self-ferti- 
lizers are  every  way  as  healthy  and  vigorous,  and  immensely 
more  productive  than  those  dependent  on  insect  aid ;  and, 
finally,  that  where  plants  are  so  dependent,  they  are  the 
worst  fitted  to  engage  in  the  struggle  for  life,  the  great 
underlying  principle  in  natural  selection.  As  a  result 
largely  of  Dr.  Keller's  paper,  the  Gardener's  Chronicle,  com- 
menting on  her  deductions,  says : 

"  It  will  certainly  be  somewhat  of  a  shock  to  some 
conservative  people  to  hear  that  the  cherished  convictions 
have  been  ruthlessly  undermined.  It  seems  we  must  give 
up  believing  that  nature  loves  cross-fertilization,  and  adapts 
herself  to  it,  and  that  the  lovely  hues  of  flowers  are  due  to 
insects.  The  evolutionist  must  set  to  work  and  get  some 
new  theories  to  suit  these  fin  de  siecle  opinions.  How  can 
we  account  for  the  beautiful  colors  and  beautiful  scents 
which  please  our  senses,  but  apparently  do  not  please 
insects  at  all  ?  We  must  have  more  experiments  before  the 
question  of  relation  between  flowers  and  insects  can  be 
satisfactorily  settled." 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  Uber  die  Protoplasma  Stromung  im  Pflanzenreich."  Zurich, 
1890. 

2.  "The  Phenomena  of  Fertilization  in  the  Flowers  of  Monarda 
fistulosa." — Proceedings  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  1892. 

*  See  editorial,  Public  Ledger,  Thursday,  October  29,  1S96. 


382  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

3.  "The  Glandular  Haii^  of  Brasenia  peltata,  Pursb." — Proceedings 
Academy  Katund  Sciences,  1893. 

4.  "The  Jelly-like  Secretion  of   the   Fruit  of   Peltandra  uudulata, 
Eaf. " — Proceedings  Academy  Xatural  Sciences.  1895. 

5.  "On  the  Color  in  the  Aril  of  Celastrus  scaudens." — Proceedings 
Academy  A^aUtral  Sciences,  1896.     Reported  in  the  Public  Ledger. 

6.  "Notes  on  the  Study  of    the  Cross-Fertilization  of  Flowers  bv 
Insects." — Proceedings  Academy  Xatural  Sciences,  1896. 

A.  ARTHUR  HELLER. 

A.  Arthur  Heller,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  sons, 
was  born  March  21, 1867,  in  Montour  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Always  averse  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  an  opportunity  to 
learn  the  "  arts  and  mysteries  of  printing  "  was  given  him 
in  1881.  Accordingly,  his  mother,  a  widow  since  his  birth, 
removed  to  Lancaster,  where  his  oldest  brother,  now  Rev.  C. 

B.  Heller,  of  Mt.  Crawford,  Virginia,  was  just  beginning  his 
course  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall College.  About  September  10,  1881,  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  Inquirer  Printing  &  Publishing  Company, 
now  the  Wickersham  Company.  After  two  years'  work  as 
a  journeyman,  he  entered  the  Academy  of  Franklin  and 
Marshall  College,  and  five  years  later,  in  1892,  graduated 
from  the  college  with  the  degree  of  B.  A. 

His  mother  at  that  time  had  several  students  in  her 
house  as  boarders,  who  were  engaged-  iust  then  in  studying 
botany.  The  plants  which  they  brought  in  from  their 
trips  seemed  very  beautiful  to  the  boy,  who  had  to  spend 
ten  hours  a  day  at  the  type  case,  with  very  few  opportuni- 
ties to  get  out  into  the  country.  To  a  girl  friend,  in  1884, 
who  is  now  his  wife,  and  who  was  then  in  the  High  School, 
and  also  studying  botany,  he  confided  his  opinion  that 
botany  must  be  a  very  nice  study,  and   that  he  wished  he 


THE   BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  383 

could  have  a  chance   at  it.     She   offered   her   services   as 
teacher,  and  put  him  to  work  at  Gray's  Lessons. 

In  the  fall  of  1888,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  of 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  where  the  acquaintance  of 
a  classmate,  John  K.  Small,  who  was  mucli  interested  in 
botany,  was  speedily  made.  The  two  at  once  became  insep- 
arable companions,  and  spent  all  their  spare  time  in 
botanizing.  During  the  fall  of  1888,  and  spring  of  1889, 
not  a  week  passed  without  at  least  one  collecting  trip  being 
made.  It  was  mainly  during  this  time  that  the  fifty  or 
sixty  additions  to  the  known  phanerogamous  flora  of  Lan- 
caster County  were  made. 

The  vacation  of  1889  was  spent  by  Mr.  Heller  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  birthplace,  the  greater  part  with  his 
brother,  A.  C.  Heller,  at  Berwich,  Columbia  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. While  here,  he  began  a  correspondence  with  the 
veteran  botanist.  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Porter,  of  Lafayette  College, 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  and  collected  a  number  of  plants 
for  him. 

Having  decided  to  visit  his  oldest  brother.  Rev.  B.  C. 
Heller,  then  located  near  Salisbury.  North  Carolina,  during 
the  vacation  of  1890,  Dr.  Porter  and  Dr.  X.  L.  Britton.  of 
Columbia  College,  New  York,  kindly  advanced  funds  and 
assisted  him  in  disposing  of  sets  of  the  plants  collected. 

This  visit  to  the  "  Tar  Heel  "  State  was  a  very  enjoy- 
able one,  and  introduced  him  to  many  now  plants.  The 
greater  part  of  the  time  was  spent  about  Heilig's  Mill,  at 
the  parsonage,  twelve  miles  south  of  Salisbury.  Between 
this  place  and  Salisbury  is  a  tract  of  granite  containing 
many  rare  plants.  But  the  crowning  event  of  the  summer 
was  a  visit  to  Blowing-  Rock,  where  some  three  weeks  were 


384  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

spent.  This  is  a  summer  resort,  in  the  crest  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
at  4000  feet  elevation.  Grandfather  was  the  first  mountain 
visited.  This  grand  old  mountain,  classic  in  the  annals 
of  southern  botany  as  the  foraging  ground  of  botanists 
from  the  elder  Michaux  to  the  present  time,  stands  like  an 
immense  sentinel  some  ten  miles  west  of  Blowing  Rock. 
Trips  were  also  made  to  Table  Rock  (which  Dr.  Gray  always 
would  call  Table  Mountain),  thirty-five  miles  distant,  and  to 
Roan,  fifty  miles  west.  Three  new  species  were  collected : 
Solidago  Roanenns  Porter,  on  the  slopes  of  Roan  ;  Liatris 
Heller  I  Porter,  on  the  "  blowing  rock,"  and  Lotui^  Helleri 
Britton,  at  Heilig's  MilL  Pentstemon  Smallii  Heller  was 
collected  in  fruit,  but  not  named  until  four  years  later. 

So  well  pleased  were  he  and  Mr.  Small  with  the  results 
of  this  trip,  that  they  decided  to  make  it  in  company 
during  the  next  vacation.  Accordingly,  early  in  June  they 
started,  stopping  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  to  make  a  side 
trip  to  Roanoke.  Here  they  obtained  a  number  of  rare 
plants,  among  them  the  recently  published  Oxalis  grandis 
Small  and  Oxalis  recurva  Ell.  A  stop  was  also  made  at 
Fall  Creek,  near  Danville,  and  a  number  of  species  col- 
lected, one  of  which  was  Senecio  Smallii  Britton.  Only  a 
few  days  were  spent  at  Heilig's  Mill,  and  by  June  10, 
they  were  quartered  at  Blowing  Rock.  Pentstemon 
Smallii,  with  its  handsome  rose-purple  flowers,  was  in 
full  Ijloom,  and  so,  too,  was  Rhododendron  Cataiubiense, 
and  occasional  belated  bushes  of  Azalea  lutea.  Two 
delightful  months  were  spent  in  the  mountains.  Grand- 
father was  visited  three  times,  and  Roan  and  Table 
Rock  once.  On  the  slopes  of  Grandfather  the  long- 
neglected    Lilium    Carolinia.num    Michaux    was    found    in 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  385 

quantity.  ThaUdriini  roriacrum  (Britton)  Small,  wliich 
occurs  all  tlirouah  that  region,  was  collected  at  Blowing- 
Rock,  and  Thalidnnn  macrostylinn  (Shuttle),  Small  and 
Heller,  at  Hickor}^  in  a  meadow.  Thalidrum  pohjgamurn , 
w^ith  which  the  latter  has  been  associated  as  a  variety,  was 
not  seen,  and  proba])ly  does  not  occur  in  western  North 
Carolina.  Upon  returning  from  the  mountains,  a  few 
days  were  again  spent  at  Heilig's  Mill,  and  a  trip  made  to 
the  falls  of  the  Yadkin  Ri«v^er,  a  very  picturesque  place, 
and  of  much  botanical  interest.  Solidago  Yadkinenns 
(Porter)  Small  and  Acer  leucoderme  Small  were  obtained  on 
this  day. 

The  distribution  of  the  plants  collected  during  this  and 
the  preceding  year  brought  Mr.  Heller  to  the  notice  of 
American  botanists,  and  very  unexpectedly  in  March, 
1892,  came  an  offer  from  Rev.  George  Vasey,  Botanist  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  to  join  a  botanical  expedi- 
tion then  being  organized  to  make  explorations  in  northern 
Idaho.  As  the  work  of  the  senior  class  was  almost  over, 
permission  was  readily  granted  him  to  take  his  examinations 
in  advance,  and  on  April  lltli  he  started  for  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota,  where  the  party  was  organized.  The  party  was 
commissioned  for  five  months,  and  in  that  time  traveled 
through  some  interesting  country,  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Clearwater  River  to  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Pend 
d'  Oreille. 

In  December  of  that  year  he  visited  New  York,  and 
became  personally  acquainted  with  Dr.  Britton.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1893,  he  again  went  to  New  York,  where  he  spent 
two  or  three  months,  working  with  Dr.  Britton.  The  col- 
lecting season   was  spent  in  Virginia,  principally  in   the 


386  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

south-eastern  part.  A  trip  was  also  made  to  White  Sulphur 
Springs,  West  Virginia,  after  the  rare  Clematis  ovata  Pursh 
and  Trifolium  Virginicum  Small.  Two  trips  were  also 
made  to  the  mountains  of  North  CaroHna  after  rare  species. 
During  the  season  several  new  species  were  collected,  and  a 
number  added  to  the  Gray  "  Manual  Range." 

Upon  the  opening  of  Columbia  College,  in  October,  he 
entered  upon  a  post-graduate  course,  but  circumstances 
compelled  him  to  abandon  it  early  in  December.  He 
immediately  decided  to  spend  the  following  season  in 
Texas,  and  March  3,  .1894,  found  him  located  at  Corpus 
Christi.  Four  months  were  spent  at  Corpus  Christi  and 
Kerville,  a  small  town  seventy  miles  west  of  San  Antonio. 
The  Lone  Star  State  proved  the  best  botanical  ground  yet 
visited.  Some  ten  or  fifteen  new  species  were  discovered, 
and  many  rare  ones  collected.  On  the  way  to  the  collecting 
field  he  spent  a  day  with  the  Director  of  the  Missouri 
Botanical  Garden,  Dr.  William  Trelease.  The  results  of 
his  visit  to  Texas  were  incorporated  in  a  report  entitled : 
"  Botanical  Explorations  in  Southern  Texas  during  the 
Season  of  1894."  In  it  are  116  pages  of  descriptive  matter, 
including  lengthy  critical  notes  on  many  species. 

Part  of  July  and  August  was  spent  at  Washington, 
determining  the  Texas  collection  at  the  National  Herbarium, 
and  later,  some  weeks  at  New  York,  verifying  doubtful 
species.  As  a  member  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  and 
an  Associate  Editor  of  the  Bulletin,  visits  to  the  metropolis 
now  became  rather  frequent. 

At  the  close  of  1894,  there  being  a  vacancy  at  the  Mis- 
souri Botanical  Garden,  Professor  Trelease  kindly  offered 
him  the  position  of  Assistant,  Ijut  the  offer  was  regretfully 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  387 

declined,  as  he  had  decided  to  visit  the  Hawaiian  IsLands, 
long  famous  for  tlieir  unique  flora.  Ilonoliihi  was  reached 
March  15,  1895,  and  eight  months  spent  on  the  islands 
of  Kauai  and  Oahu.  Of  both  flowering  plants  and 
cryptogams,  about  sevent3^-fiYe  new  species  were  discovered. 

While  at  San  Francisco,  the  botanists  of  the  University 
of  California,  at  Berkeley,  and  of  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  were 
visited,  and  nearly  all  of  the  time  spent  at  the  herljarium  of 
the  California  Academy  of  Sciences. 

Early  in  December  he  again  arrived  in  Lancaster,  and 
after  Christmas  repaired  to  New  York  to  verify  the  deter- 
minations made  from  Hildebrand's  "  Flora  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands." 

In  April,  1896,  Mr.  Heller  and  wife  started  for  Idaho  to 
spend  the  summer  in  collecting.  Two  months  were  spent 
at  Lewiston,  at  the  junction  of  the  Clearwater  and  Snake 
Rivers,  and  the  same  length  of  time  in  the  Craig  Mountains, 
at  Lake  Waha  and  Forest,  twenty  and  thirty-five  miles 
respectively,  south  of  Lewaston.  The  usual  number  of 
interesting  species  were  collected,  among  them  a  dozen  or 
more  new  ones. 

While  at  Lewiston  an  offer  of  the  position  of  Assistant 
Botanist  of  the  Geological  and  Natural  History  Survey  was 
tendered  him  and  promptly  accepted.  He  was  later 
located  at  the  University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis,  where 
he  had  charge  of  the  rapidly  growing  herbarium  of  that 
institution.  In  March,  1898,  was  issued  by  Dr.  Heller  a 
new  check  list  of  North  American  plants.  It  contains  a 
list  of  14,534  names,  an  increase  of  2000  names  over  any 
catalogue  previously  issued.  It  is  the  direct  outcome  of 
Dr.  Heller's  connection  with  the  large  herbarium   at  the 


388  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

University  of  Minnesota.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Heller  started  in 
1898  on  a  botanical  trij^  to  the  newly  acquired  tropical 
island,  Puerto  Rico,  under  the  auspices  of  the  New  York 
Botanical  Garden.  They  returned  in  June,  1899,  with  a 
large  collection  of  plants,  especially  from  the  northern  side 
of  the  island. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "  Notes  on  the  Flora  of  North  Carolina." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical 
Cluh,  XYIII  :  186,  1891,  pp.  7. 

2.  "A  Botanical  Tri-p.^^— College  Student,  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  1891. 

3.  "On  the  Flora  of  North  Carolina  and  Contiguous  Territor\\" — 
Memoirs  Torrey  Botanical  Cluh,  III,   No.  1,  1892,  pp.  39. 

4.  "  Aspleniuni  Bradleyi,  Eaton." — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club, 
XX  :  18,  1893,  pp.  2. 

5.  ' '  Preliminary  Eeport  on  the  Flora  of  Luzerne  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania."—£»?7f^m  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XX  :  55,  1893,  pp.  13. 

6.  ' '  Preliminary  List  of  the  Lichens  of  Lancaster  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,"  Februar\",  1893,  pp.  4. 

7.  "  Plants  from  Virginia  new  to  Gray's  Manual  Range,  with  Notes 
on  other  Species. " — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXI:  21,  1894,  pp.  7. 

8.  "A  B.eqxiest.''— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXI:  314, 
1894,  pp.  7. 

9.  "  Botanical  Exploration  in  Southern  Texas  during  the  Season  of 
1894." — Contributions  to  Herbarium,  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  Lan- 
caster, Pennsylvania,  No.  1,  February  6,  1895.     Plates  1-9,  pp.  116. 

10.  "  Notes  on  Kuhnistera. " — Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXIII: 
117,  1896.     Plate  262,  pp.  9. 

HENRY  KRAEMER. 

Henry  Kraemer  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on  July  22, 
1868.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  in  his  third  year. 
Thrown  upon  the  world,  he  was  admitted  to  Girard  College, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1883,  being  awarded 
the   first   prize   scholarship.     On  January  1,  1884,  he  was 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  389 

apprenticed   to    Dr.    Lowe,  and    dnrin<,^    the   five   years   of 
apprenticeship  was  a  student  of  the  Philadcli)hia    College 
of  Pharmacy,  graduating  with  the  class  of  '.S!).     V\)  to  this 
time  the  field  of  medicine  was  his  ambition ;  but  the  work 
of  the  senior  year,  while  he  w^as  engaged  on  a  thesis  on  the 
"Microscopical  and  Chemical  Study  of  White  Oak  Bark," 
caused    him  to   turn  liis  energies  in  a  i)liarmacognostical 
direction.     The  result  of  this  thesis  brought  him  the  John 
M.  Maisch  microscope  prize,  as  well  as  the  Henry  C.  Lea 
prize  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  best  thesis  of  the  class. 
For  a  short  time  he  was  an  assistant  to  Professor  S.  P.  Sadtler 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  called  from  this 
position  in  1890  as  an  Instructor  in  Pharmacognosy,  etc.,  to 
the  College  of  Pharmacy  of  the  City  of  New  York.     Here 
he  labored  for  two  years,  but  in  the  meantime  became  con- 
vinced that  he  needed  further  preparation  for  the  work  he 
washed  to  do ;  so,  in  the  second  year,  he  Ijegan  a  course  of 
study  at  the  School  of  Mines  of  Columbia  University.     Li 
1895  he  completed  this  course  and  ^vas  awarded  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 

In  April,  1895,  he  became  Professor  of  Botany, 
Pharmacognosy  and  Materia  ]\Iedica  at  the  School  of 
Pharmacy  of  the  Northwestern  University,  with  the 
privilege  of  spending  a  year  abroad.  During  this  year,  an 
"  arbeit "  was  undertaken  and  finished,  wdth  the  approval  of 
the  Faculty  of  the  University  of  Marburg.  This,  with  the 
successful  passing  of  the  required  examination,  brought 
him  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.*  In  1897  Dr. 
Kraemer  was  elected  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  death  of  Professor  Bastin. 

*  Philadelphia  Ledger,  May  8, 1S97,  with  portrait. 


390  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

From  1892  to  1805  he  was  a  reporter  for  the  Progress  of 
Pharmacy,  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association, 
and  for  a  while  was  the  editor  of  the  Alumni  Journal,  of  the 
College  of  Pharmacy  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  w^as  Sec- 
retary of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  during  1897 
and  1898,  and  has  been  acting  editor  of  the  Americayi  Journal 
of  Pharmacy  since  the  death  of  Professor  Henry  Trimble. 

Bibliography. 

1.  "Tannin    of    Quercus    alba." — American   .Journal    of   Pharmacy^ 
1890,  236. 

2.  "Fungi.'- — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy ,  1894,  424. 

3.  "  A  Microscopical  and  Chemical  Examination  of  Cloves." — Amer- 
ican Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1894,  479. 

4.  "The  World's  Columbian  Exposition  from  a  Botanical  Stand- 
point."— American  Journal  of  Pharviacy,  1894,  80. 

5.  "  The  Materia  Medica  of  Ceylon." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
1894,  530. 

6.  "The  Violet  Perfume." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1895. 

7.  "Chinquapin  (Castanea  pumila,  Mill)." — American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1895,  453. 

8.  "The  Pharmacist  and  the  Microscope." — American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1897,  398. 

9.  "Botanical  Study  of  Viola  tricolor." — Inaugural  Dissertation, 
Ilarburg,  1897. 

10.  "Examination     of     Powdered     Drugs." — American    Journal    of 
Pharmacy,  1897,  523. 

11.  "  Asarum  Canadense." — American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1898,  144. 

12.  "  Note  on  Saffron." — American  Journal  of  I^harmacy,  1898,  386, 

13.  "Qualitative    Examination    of    Powdered   Vegetable    Drugs." — 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1898,  506,  558,  607. 

14.  "The  Study  of  Starch  Grains  and  its  Application." — American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1899,  174. 

15.  "Origin  and  Detection  of  Mucilage  in  Plants." — American  Journal 
of  Pharmacy,  1899,  267,  285. 

16.  "On    the    Morphology   of    the    Genus    Viola." — Bulletin    Torrey 
Botanical  Club,  XXVI :  174. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  391 

JOHN  WILLIAM  HARSHBERQER. 

John  William  Harshberger*  was  born  in  Philadel[.hia, 
January  1, 18G9,  of  indigenous  American  stock,  his  ancestors 
on   his   father's  (Abram   Harshberger,   ^LD,)  side  having 
immigrated  to  Central  Pennsylvania  from  near  Coblenz  on 
the  Rhine,  in  1735,  and  on  liis  mother's  (Jane  Harris  Walk) 
side  just  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  French  and    Indian 
Wars  in  1755.     He  claims  German  ancestry  on  his  father's 
side  (Hirschberger,  Rhone),  and  on    his  mother's,  by  inter- 
marriage,  Scotch-Irish    (Brown,   Oliver),  English    (Harris) 
and  Sclavic  (Walk).     He  went  while  a  child  to  the  kinder- 
garten   taught    by   an   aunt.     Until    nine    years   of    age, 
he  was  taught  at  home  ;    and  during  this  time,  in  1877, 
was    created     his    love    for    botany    and    plants,   having 
accompanied  his  aunt  on  the  botanical  excursions  conducted 
by  Professor  Jacob  Ennis  to  the  country  in  the  immediate 
vicinage  of  Philadelphia.     At  nine,  he  entered  the  public 
school  at  Haddington,  West  Philadelphia,  and,  by  succes- 
sive steps,  passed  through  the  entire  public  school  system  of 
Philadelphia,  until  his  graduation  from  the  Central  High 
School,  in  June,  1888,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
In  1888,  he  entered  the  Biological  School  of  the  University 
of   Pennsylvania    on   one   of   the   public    school   scholar- 
ships.    His   studies  at  the  University  engrossed  all  of  his 
time  for  the  next  four  years,  when,  in  1892,  he  received  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.     In  1890,  having  spent  some 
time  in  study  at  the  Arnold  Arboretum,  Harvard  University, 
he  was  appointed  Assistant  Instructor  in  Botany,  serving 
under  Professor  Joseph  T.  Rothrock  and  Professor  William 
P.  Wilson,  from  whom  he  received  a  practical  pedagogical 

*  A  half-tone  portrait  appeared  in  Traffic,  IV  :  18,  Philadelphia.  March,  isoo. 


'392  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

training,  his  theoretical  knowledge  of  pedagogy  being 
obtained  in  lS92-'93,  while  a  member  of  the  University 
Extension  Seminar. 

Having  combined  with  his  studies  for  the  bachelor's 
degree  the  branches  leading  to  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philos- 
oi)hy,  in  June,  1893,  he  was  granted  that  degree  by  the  Uni- 
versity, having  prepared  as  a  thesis,  "  Maize  :  A  Botanical 
and  Economic  Study,"  which  was  published  in  Vol.  I,  No.  2, 
Contributions  from  the  Botanical  Laboratory,  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. This  piece  of  work  was  noticed  favorably  in 
botanical  journals,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  pam- 
phlet of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pages  was  later  trans- 
lated into  Spanish  by  Dr.  Nicolas  Leon,  of  Mexico."^" 

In  1893  he  w^as  appointed  Instructor  in  Botany, 
Biology  and  Zoology  at  the  University,  in  the  Veterinary 
Department,  where  he  teaches  botany,  general  biology  and 
zoology,  and  in  the  School  of  Biology,  where  he  teaches 
botany.  In  order  to  make  his  lectures  in  the  Veterinary 
School  more  attractive  and  interesting.  Dr.  Harshberger 
drew  in  colored  crayons  a  series  of  three  hundred  or 
more  botanical  and  zoological  wall  charts.  These  are 
mounted  on  muslin,  the  crayon  being  fastened  perma- 
nently to  the  black  pattern  paper  by  means  of  gum  mastich 
dissolved  in  alcohol.  In  the  fall  of  1896  Dr.  Harshberger 
was  appointed  a  lecturer  in  the  Philosophical  Faculty  of 
the  University,  where,  as  one  of  the  teacliers,  he  will  give 
instruction  to  the  student  candidates  for  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

For  three  years,  ending  1895,  he  was  one  of  the  staff  of 

*  El  Maiz.  Estudio  Botdnico  y  Economico  por  John  W.  Hars[h]berger,  Ph.  D., 
(Universidad  de  Pensilvania)  Traduccion,  octavo,  164  pp.    Mexico.    1S94. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'llI  LA  DELPHIA.  393 

teacliers  at  the  Kittenliouse  Academy,  Pliiladdpliia  (Dr. 
De  B.  K.  Ludwig  and  Professor  E.  ]>.  W'aplcs.  Principals), 
instructing  the  students  in  clii'inistry,  })hysics  and  astro- 
nomy. 

In  June,  1S05,  he  was  asked  to  revise  tlie  hotanieal 
words  and  terms  in  Worcester's  Dictionaiy.  wliich  was 
undergoing  revision  at  Lipi)incotts.  This  work,  besides 
the  lectures  delivered  before  the  University  Archeological 
Association  on  ethno-botanical  subjects,  and  his  profes- 
sional duties  at  the  University,  have  given  him  little  spare 
time  for  exhaustive  original  research,  to  which  he  is  most 
inclined.  During  the  month  of  July,  1806,  he  delivered 
before  a  class  of  teachers  and  others  interested  in  botany, 
attending  the  Summer  School  of  the  American  Society  for 
the  Extension  of  University  Teaching,  a  course  of  lectures 
on  "  The  Natural  History  of  Field  and  Garden  Plants,"  as 
also  during  the  fall  of  1896  a  course  on  fungi  in  the  depart- 
ment of  the  University  for  teachers.  In  1897  he  was  one 
of  corps  of  lecturers  in  the  Department  of  Lectures,  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Harshberger  is  a  member  of  the  Philadelphia 
Botanical  Club,  in  the  meetings  of  which  he  takes  a  deep 
interest,  having  made  several  communications  to  that  body, 
notably  on  his  observations  on  Talinum  tcretifolium  of  the 
serpentine  barrens  of  Chester  County,  and  on  the  flora  of 
Luray,  Virginia,  and  vicinity,  which  he  visited  in  1894. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Asso- 
ciation, the  University  Field  Club,  and  of  the  Delaware 
Valley  Naturalists'  Union,  having  been  the  Treasurer  of 
the  latter  association  during  1895-1896,  and  President  of 
the  Field  Club  at  the  same  time.     In  1898  he  was  elected 


394  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Treasurer  of  the  newly  organized  Botanical  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  which  he  has  made  several  interesting  com- 
munications. 

Besides  these  duties,  Dr.  Harshberger  has  had  time  to 
write  articles  for  the  botanical  and  educational  press,  a  list 
of  which  papers  is  given  below.  His  private  herbarium, 
mounted  and  classified,  consists  of  some  1500  sheets,  repre- 
senting so  many  species,  and  his  botanical  library  some 
300  volumes,  very  rich  in  the  scientific  bulletins  and  reports 
issued  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  as 
also  in  the  more  recent  German  works  and  translations. 

He  has  done  considerable  collecting  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Philadelphia,  in  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  ]\Iary- 
land,  Virginia,  West  Virginia,  and  is  conversant  with  the 
flora  of  the  pine  barrens  and  cedar  swamps  of  New  Jersey. 
In  the  summer  of  1892  he  visited  Europe,  and  while 
abroad  spent  some  time  at  Kew,  and  the  Jardin  des  Plantes, 
visiting  also  Rothamsted,  the  celebrated  experimental  farm. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1896,  having 
completed  the  revision  of  the  botanical  words  for  the 
English  dictionary.  Dr.  Harshberger  took  a  trip  to  Mexico, 
where  he  botanized  extensively.  The  flora  of  the  Valley 
of  Mexico  w^as  especially  studied,  the  results  of  which 
study  are  given  in  several  pu-olications,  noticed  at  the 
end  of  this  sketch.  During  his  sojourn  in  Mexico,  side 
trips  were  taken  to  the  tropical  forests  at  Cordoba,  Orizaba 
and  the  palm  forests  and  tropical  forests  on  the  Tampico 
Branch  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad,  as  also  to  Guada- 
lajara, where  extensive  collections  of  living,  dried  and 
alcoholic  plants  v\^ere  made.  On  the  way  to  and  from 
Mexico,  opportunity  was  afforded  him  to  study  the  flora  of 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  395 

southwestern  Texas,  along-  the  Rio  Grande.  Tlie  jtreliin- 
inary  results  of  this  Mexican  trip  were  published  in  a 
paper  in  the  Ama-ican  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  November, 
1896,  a  translation  of  which  paper,  by  Dr.  Nicolas  Leon,* 
appeared  in  a  Mexican  newspaper,  El  Tiempo,  for  December 
4, 1896. 

Durino-  the  summer  of  1897  he  took  a  six  weeks'  trip 
to  California  and  the  Northwest.  While  in  California  he 
visited  the  primeval  redwood  forests  on  Humboldt  Bay, 
near  Eureka,  California,  being  accorded  the  privileges  of 
the  lumbering  camps  situated  there.  He  also  visited  the 
Calaveras  and  Tuolumne  big  tree  groves,  and  became  thus 
acquainted  with  the  magnificent  grandeur  of  Sequoia 
gigantea,  Pinus ponder osa  and  P.  Lambertiana.  The  Yosemite 
Valley  was  visited  on  this  trip,  and  here  he  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  botanizing.  On  the  homeward  journey  a  visit 
w^as  paid  to  the  forests  of  the  State  of  Washington,  and 
a  trip  of  seven  days  w^as  made  through  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park,  where  the  flora  of  the  Park,  especially  of 
the  geysers  and  hot  springs,  was  studied. 

The  summer  vacation  of  1898  was  spent  abroad.  A 
hasty  run  was  made  through  Ireland,  Scotland,  England, 
Holland  and  France,  Avhere  the  several  important  centres  of 
botanical  interest  were  visited.  :Most  of  the  time  abroad 
was  spent  in  studying  the  laboratories  and  methods  of  the 
German  universities.  The  laboratories  at  Bonn,  Berlin, 
Dresden  and  Munich  were  inspected.  Here  Dr.  Harsh- 
berger  made  the  personal  acquaintance  of  the  leaders  of 

*Dr.  Nicolas  Leon,  of  Mexico,  was  born  at  Quiroga,  State  of  Michoacan, 
December  G,  1859.  He  adopted  the  career  of  medicine  and  obtained  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1883.  He  was  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  national  colleges  of 
Morelia  and  Oaxaca.  He  has  published  a  number  of  botanical  papers  and  transla- 
tions, noticed  in  his  book,  Biblioteca  Botanico  Mexicana,  octavo,  372  pp.,  Mexico,  1895. 


396  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

botanical  thought  abroad.  Two  weeks  were  spent  amidst 
the  alpine  flora  of  the  Bernese  Oberland,  the  Mount 
Blanc  range  and  the  neighborhood  of  Zermatt,  within  sight 
of  Monte  Rosa  and  the  Matterhorn.  A  number  of  botanic 
gardens  were  visited :  Dublin,  Edinburgh,  Cambridge,  Kew, 
Ro3^al  Society,  Amsterdam,  Bonn,  Berlin,  Dresden,  Vienna, 
Munich,  Zurich,  Berne,  Paris  and  Oxford.  Many  sugges- 
tions came  to  him  in  comparing  the  American  botanical 
institutes  (most  of  which  he  has  personalh^  visited)  with 
those  of  England  and  of  the  continent.  Much  inspiration 
w^as  derived  from  this  trip  abroad.  An  inspection  of  the 
museums  suggested  many  lines  of  work  in  connection 
with  his  ethno-botanical  studies. 

Bibliography. 

1.  ''A  Few  Pennsylvania  Forestry  Statistics." — Forest   Leaves^   II: 
37,  March,  April,  1889. 

2.  "The  Wissahickon  Woods."— (?rtrfZe»  fl»r7^ore§/,  IV:   129  (1891). 

3.  "Plants  for  the  Seashore." — Garden  and  Forest,  V:  45,  January 
27,  1892. 

4.  "  An  Abnormal  Development  of  the  Inflorescence  of  Dionoea." — 
Contrib.  Bot.  Lah.,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I:  45. 

5.  "Maize:     A  Botanical  and  Economic  Study. " — Contrih.  Bot.  Lah. 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  I:  75,  202. 

6.  "A  Philadelphia  Court  of  Honor." — Philadelphia  Ledger,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1893. 

7.  "An  Additional  Poisonous  Plant." — Botanical  Gazette,  XIX  :  159, 
April,  1894,      Garden  and  Forest,  VII  :  170. 

8.  "Geographical  Biology  .''—Education,  XIV  :  513,  May,  1894. 

9.  "James  Logan,  an  Early  Contributor  to  the  Doctrine  of  Sex  in 
V\dLJi\s,.''— Botanical  Gazette,  XIX:  307,  August,  1894. 

10.  "Plant    Forms   on   Mexican    and    Central    American    Tablets." 
American  Antiquarian,  XVI :  299,  September,  1894. 

11.  "The    Origin    of     Our    Vernal    Flora. "—^c/e/ice,    N.   S.,    1:92, 
January  25,  1895. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'l  1 1 1.A  DKLl'J  1 1  A.  397 

12.  "  The  Ori-iu  of  Paper  and  Cloth."— 7'/v#^,  IV:  1>^,  March,  1895. 

13.  "  When  is  Rhus  toxicodendron  Most  Active?  ''—(iardni  and  Fonxt^ 

Vlir  :  239. 

14.  "Review   of    Dennert's    Ver-,deichen(U'    PlhinzennK.ii.hologie."— 

Science,  N.  S.,  II  :  311,  September  G,  1?:595. 

15.  "El  Maiz  Estudio  i;ot:'inicoy  Econoniico."    Transhition  of  (6)  by 
Dr.  Nicohis  Leon. — (huiddlupc-irtddhjo,  Mexico,  \^S)\. 

16.  "Mnseum  and  Garden."— /A'/V//   Knn'uKj  Tihynijili,  l'hila(hl])hia, 
XLIV  :  5,  October  26,  1895. 

17.  "The  Botanists  of  Philadelphia."     A  Preliminary  List.     Circular 
Letter  dated  October  30,  1895. 

18.  "The  Need  of  Competent  Plant  Doctors."— 7::(/«m//o?i,  XVI  :  110, 
November,  1895. 

19.  "Some  New  Ideas  Ethuo-Botany."— Brief  of  Lecture.  Evening 
Telegraph,  Thursday,  December  5,  1895. 

20.  "Donations  to  the  Botanical  Museum."— 77«'  J\nnsylraninn, 
December  2,  1895,  p.  3. 

21.  "  Ethno-Botanic  Gardens.  "—6'c/cntr,  N.  S.,  Ill:  203,  February  7, 

1896. 

22.  "  The  Purposes  of  Ethno-Botany. " — Botanical  Gazette,  XXI:  146, 
March,  1896.     American  Antiquarian,  XVII  :  73,  March,  1896. 

23.  "Is  the  Pumpkin  an  American  Plant  ?  "—.Sc/cmr,  N.  S.,  Ill: 
889,  June  19,  1896. 

24.  "Some  Recent  Mexican  Publications. "-^SaVjicc,  N.  S.,  IV:  539, 
October  9,  1896. 

25.  A  Botanical  Excursion  to  Mexico. ' ^—American  Journal  of  Pharmacy, 
LXVIII  :  588,  November,  1896. 

26.  "Fertile  Crosses  between  Teosinthe  and  Maize." — (,'arden  and 
Forest,  IX  :  522. 

27.  "Una  Excursion  botanica  a  Mexico."  Translation  by  Dr. 
Nicolas  Leon.— El  Tiempo,  Diario  Catolieo,  Ano  XIV,  numlx^r  3968.  Viernes, 
4  de  Diciembre  de  1896  (Friday,  December  4,  1896). 

28.  "Would     make   a    good     Fark.''— Public     Ledger,     February    1, 

1897,  p.  9. 

29.  "Notes  on  the  Hybrid  of  Maize  and  Teosinthe."— 67^7/^  and 
Forest,  X  :  48,  February  13,  1897. 

30.  "A  Communication."— 77te  iV7i«82//ra«m?j,  February  13,  1897. 


398  THE     BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

3L  "Natural  History,  Charts  and  Illustrations."— i:fZMC«??on,  XVII  : 
493,  April,  1897. 

32.  ''  An  Ecological  Stud}-  of  the  genus  Talinum,  with  Descriptions  of 
Tv^o  Species.'^— Bulletin  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  XXIV:  178,  April,  1897. 

33.  "John  Evans  and  His  Garden.''— Garden  and  Forest,  X:  182, 
May  12,  1897. 

34.  "The  Native  Dahlias  of  Mexico.''— ,S'c/e>Jce,  N.  S.,  VI:  908, 
December  17,  1897. 

35.  "The  Vegetation  of  the  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs." — American 
Journal  of  Pharmacy,  LXIX  :  625,  December,  1897. 

36.  "  Water  Storage  and  Conduction  in  Senecio  prsecox  from  Mexico." 
Abstract  of  paper  read  at  Ithaca,  New  York,  before  Society  Botanical 
Physiologists  and  Morphologists. — Science,  N.  S.,  VII  :  120.  Botanical 
Gazette,  February,  1898,  p.  116. 

37.  "  A  Re^-iew  of  Our  Knowledge  of  Phy to-Bezoars. " — The  Journal  of 
Comparative  Medicine  and  Veterinary  Archives,  XIX  :  143,  March,  1898. 

38.  "A  Few  Ecological  Notes."- .4.sa  Gray  Bulletin,  VI:  37,  April, 
1898. 

39.  "Home  and  School  Window  GardeuQ.''— Education,  XVIII: 
555,  May,  1898. 

40.  The  Uses  of  Plants  among  the  Ancient  Peruvians." — Bulletin  of 
the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  :  146,  April, 
1898. 

41.  "  A  Mexican  Tropical  Botanic  Station." — The  Botanical  Gazette, 
XXIV  :  362,  May,  1898. 

42.  "Abnormal  Flowers  of  Verbesina." — Asa  Gray  Bulletin,  Yl  :  67, 
August,  1898. 

43.  "  Botanical  Observations  o.  the  Mexican  Flora,  especially  on  the 
Flora  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico." — Proceedings  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 
of  Philadelphia,  August,  1898,  372,  pp.  41. 

44.  "Peanut,  Arachis  hypogoea." — 3Ieehan\s  Monthly,  VIII:  191, 
December,  1898. 

45.  "  Some  Morphological  Structure  in  Paulownia  imperialis. "  Paper, 
read  before  Society  of  Plant  Morphology  and  Physiology,  New  York, 
December,  1898.  Abstracted  in  American  Naturalist  March,  1899. — 
University  Bulletin,  III  :  160. 

46.  ' '  The  Names  of  the  Big  Tree  of  California. '  '—Forest  Leaves,  VII :  25. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  399 

47.  "Water  Storage  and  Coiuluction  in  Senecio  pnecox  from  Mexico." 
— Contrib.  Bot.  Lab.  University  of  Pcnnsi/lrajna,  II  :  31. 

48.  "Statistical  Information  concerning  the  Production  of  Fruit  in 
Certain  Plants. — Contrib.  Bot.  Lab.   Unircrsiti/ of  Prnnsytrnnid.  II:  100. 

49.  "  Thermotropic  Movements  in  the  Leaves  of  Klj(Mh)dendron 
maximum  L." — Proceedings  Acadnny  of  Natural  Sciences,  18JJ9.  210,  with  3 
figures  in  text. 

oO.  "Local  Plant  Names  in  New  Jersey." — harden  and  Forest,  V: 
395,  January,  27,  1892. 

51.  "Transmitted  Characteristics  in  a  White  Angora  Cat." — Science, 
N.  S.,  IX:  554,  April  14,  1899. 

52.  "Origin  of  the  Potato,  Solanum  tuberosum." — Jleehan's  Monthly, 
IX  :  111,  July,  1899. 

ALEXANDER  MACELWEE. 

Alexander  jNIacEhvee  was  born  in  Glas,c:ow,  Scotland, 
January  28,  18G9, — the  first  of  a  family  that  now  numbers 
eleven.  At  an  early  age  he  was  sent  to  one  of  the  primary 
schools  of  his  native  city ;  thence  to  the  public  schools, 
where  he  received  a  good  elementary  education.  At  the 
age  of  twelve,  he  passed  the  highest  standard  with  honors, 
and  then  went  to  work.  His  first  experience  was  as  an 
office-boy  in  a  commission  agent's  office  at  a  salary  of  three 
shillings  per  week.  He  remained  here  nearly  a  year,  and 
then  left  for  a  better  position  in  a  wholesale  drug  ware- 
house. Here  Mr.  MacElwee  helped  to  mix  up  compounds, 
bottle  flavoring  stuffs,  and  run  errands.  He  remained  here 
until  October,  1883,  when  he  left  Glasgow  to  join  his  parents 
in  the  New  World.  He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  October  16, 
1883,  and  shortly  afterwards  secured  a  position  as  gardener's 
boy  in  the  garden  of  A.  J.  Drexel.  at  Thirty-nintli  and  AVal- 
nut  Streets.  At  this  time  he  knew  absolutely  nothing 
about  plants ;  and  so,  shortly  after,  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
studying  botany.     During  the  year  1886,  he  first  attended 


400  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

the  meetings  of  the  Botanical  Section  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  and  became  at  once  interested.  Mr. 
MacElwee  remained  at  Drexel's  garden  for  nearly  four 
years,  then  secured  a  position  in  the  nursery  of  Hugh 
Graham,  at  Eighteenth  and  Thompson  Streets.  Here  he 
had  charge  of  several  houses — one  entirely  of  ferns,  another 
of  palms,  etc. 

In  1888  he  entered  on  a  three  years'  apprenticeship  as 
a  bricklayer.  This  calling  gave  him  a  great  deal  of  spare 
time,  which  he  devoted  to  collecting  plants,  insects,  min- 
erals, etc.  It  Avas  during  this  time  that  he  mounted  a  mag- 
nificent collection  of  plants  presented  by  the  late  Isaac  C. 
Martindale  to  the  Botanical  Club,  xls  soon  as  his  appren- 
ticeship had  expired,  he  secured  a  position  as  assistant 
gardener  in  the  garden  of  Hon.  John  AVanamaker,  at 
Jenkintown,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  remained  for  a  time 
until  he  obtained  a  better-paying  situation  in  the  city. 

Mr.  MacElwee  still  continued  his  botanical  rambles, 
hunting  everywhere  for  strange  plants.  He  traveled  a  great 
deal  in  the  company  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  Bernard  Brinton,  who 
kindly  helped  him  in  many  ways. 

In  April,  1894,  he  left  the  gard^ii  in  Germantown  to  take 
charge  of  the  Martindale  Herbarium,  which  had  been  pre- 
sented to  the  College  of  Pharmacy.  Here,  with  the  aid  of 
about  ten  persons,  he  labored  until  the  immense  herbarium 
w^as  in  place.  Over  1000  specimens  were  mounted,  and  up- 
wards of  100,000  sheets  labeled,  representing  over  250,000 
specimens,  completing  the  work  about  midsummer. 

In  September  of  the  same  year  (1894),  he  was  asked 
to  become  gardener  of  the  proposed  Botanic  Garden  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  some 
time,  until  the  laying-out  of  this  garden  was  completed. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKM'iriA.  401 

Mr.  MacElwce  resigned  liis  position  as  gardener  to  accept  a 
position  elsewhere  in  a  private  demesne.  Recently  he  has 
become  Curator  of  the  Herbarium  started  in  connection 
with  the  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museums,  and  has  begun 
its  development  by  initiating  a  cori'es])ondence  and  exchange 
with  l)otanists  in  diiierent  i)arts  of  the  world.  He  has 
written  these  articles : 

1.  "Notes  on  some  Species  of  Cucumis." — (inrdcn  and  Fond,  VIII: 
475. 

2.  "  Vitis  pterophora." — Gunlen  and  Forent,  IX  :  315. 

3.  "A  Few  Mormodicas." — Garden  and  Forest,  IX  :  66. 

MORRIS  E.  LEEDS. 

Morris  E.  Leeds,  born  in  Philadelphia,  March  0,  18G9 ; 
educated  at  Westtown  Boarding  School  and  Haverford  Col- 
lege, graduating  B.  S.  in  1888;  taught  natural  science 
at  Westtown,  1888-89;  studied  physics  and  mathe- 
matics at  the  University  of  Berlin,  1892-93.  Engaged  in 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  scientific  instruments  with 
Queen  &  Co.  Member  of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club 
and  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club. 

JOHN  GIFFORD. 

John  Gilford  was  born  at  May's  Landing,  New  Jersey, 
February  8,  1870.  When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  he 
entered  Swarthmore  College,  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  While  at  college,  he 
devoted  considerable  of  his  time  to  general  natural  science, 
and  after  graduation  he  spent  one  year  as  a  special  student 
of  mycology  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  The  following 
winter,  1892-93,  Mr.  Gifford  traveled  through  the  Bahamas 
and  Florida.  In  company  with  Rev.  John  E.  Peters,  he 
has  botanized  considerably  through  southern  New  Jersey, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  posted  persons  on  the  flora  of  tliat 


402  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

region.  The  year  following  his  residence  at  Ann  xVrbor 
found  Mr.  Gifford  at  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  studying 
bacteriology,  accompanying  the  Johns  Hopkins  expedition 
to  Jamaica,  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  that  year.  The 
three  years  following  he  was  Instructor  in  Botany  at 
Swarthmore  College  until  the  end  of  his  third  year,  when 
he  was  allowed  leaye  of  absence  for  four  months,  which  he 
spent  in  Louisiana,  British  Honduras,  Yucatan,  Guatemala 
and  Spanish  Honduras.  In  the  spring  of  1894,  Mr.  Gifford 
was  appointed  Forester  of  the  Geological  Suryey  of  New 
Jersey,  and  has  since  been  deyoting  his  entire  energies  to 
the  prosecution  of  this  laudable  object,  the  protection  and 
reforestration  of  the  timber  lands  of  New  Jersey.  As  editor 
of  The  Forester,  he  has  had  the  opportunity  of  molding  public 
opinion  both  in  his  own  and  neighboring  states  in  further- 
ance of  the  forestry  cause.  His  "  Report  on  Forestr}^  "  from 
the  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Geologist,  for  1894,  is  both  a 
yaluable  contribution  to  botany,  especially  ecological  botany, 
and  to  forestry.  Mr.  Gifford,  haying  pursued  the  forestiy 
course,  in  the  German  Forestry  School  at  ^Munich,  will  take 
his  degree  from  that  institution  in  1898-99,  as  a  Doctor  of 
Forestry.  A  few  articles  froilx-^his  pen  haye  appeared  in 
Garden  and  Forest,  as  follows : 

1.  "  Distribution  of  the  White  Cedar  in  New  Jersey." — IX  :  63. 

2.  "  Reforesting  Waste  Lands  in  Holland."— IX  :  423. 

ARTHUR  N.  LEEDS. 

Arthur  X.  Leeds,  born  in  Philadelphia,  October  14, 
1870;  educated  at  Westtown  School  and  Hayerford  Col- 
lege, graduating  B.  S.  in  1889,  and  M.  A.,  1890  ;  Treasurer  of 
the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club,  member  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    J'lII  LA  DKLTII I  A.  403 

JESSE  M.  GREENMAN. 

Jesse  M.  Greeiiman,  a  graduate  of  tlie  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  Natural  History  course,  was  identified 
with  the  Biological  School  of  the  University  (18S0-1893),  as 
one  of  the  instructors  of  botany,  taking  charge  also  of  its 
greenhouse,  until  he  was  called  to  Harvard  University  in 
1894.  As  Assistant  in  the  Gray  Herl)ariuni,  connected  witli 
the  Cambridge  Botanical  Garden,  lie  lias  separately  and 
in  conjunction  with  Dr.  B.  L.  Robinson,  the  Curator, 
published  numerous  papers  describing  new  plants,  mainly 
Mexican,  which  have  appeared  serially  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  from  1S94  to 
the  present. 


GENERAL  LIST  OF  BOTANISTS. 


The  names  of  persons  in  the  following  list  comprise 
many  of  botanical  importance ;  but,  for  lack  of  information 
concerning  them,  or  because,  upon  application,  a  biographical 
account  was  not  forthcoming,  they  have  been  incorporated 
in  a  General  List,  and  have  been  excluded  from  the  descrip- 
tive portion  of  this  book.  Many  of  the  persons  so  listed  are 
worthy,  from  their  contributions  to  botanical  science,  of 
more  extended  notice,  but,  for  the  reasons  stated  above,  it 
was  found  impossible  to  include  a  biographical  sketch  of 
them : 

Adlum,  Major  Johx."^  A  horticulturist  of  note,  who 
wrote  two  books  upon  the  grape,  the  first  edition 
being  the  first  American  grape  book.  Florists'  Ex- 
change, March  30,  1895,  contains  a  note  of  his  horti- 
cultural work  by  Professor  L.  H.  Bailey.  See  also 
Bailey,  "  The  Evolution  of  Our  Native  Fruits,"  fron- 
tispiece and  pp.  50  and  59  (1S98). 

Allam,  G.  Edward.     Bethl^^iem,  Pa. 

Allen,  Augusta  A.     Germantown,  Pa. 

Allex,  Mrs.  Juliette  B.     Camden,  X.  J. 

Arthur,  Prof.  J.  C,  of  Purdue  University,  Lafaj^ette,  Ind., 
and  Botanist  to  the  Indiana  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station  ;  was  for  over  a  year  a  resident  of 
Philadelphia.     (Physiology.) 

AsHMEAD,  Samuel.*     (Algte.) 

Barbeck,  William.*     (Cryptogams.) 

Barnard,  Joseph  M.* 

*  Deceased. 

404 


the  botanists  of  i'm  i  la  dki.l'hia.  405 

Barnard,  Vincent.* 

Bassett,  Wm.  J.     Ilammonton,  X.  J. 

Beal,  Dr.  George  N. 

Beaver,  Dr.  Daniel  B.  D.     Readinor,  Pa. 

Bell,  John.  A  botanist,  gardener,  and  lover  of  plants,  of 
Haddington,  Philadelphia. 

Bitner,  Henry  F.  Millersville  State  Normal  Seliool,  Lan- 
caster County,  Pa. 

Blair,  Dr.  T.  S.     Harrisburg,  Pa. 

BoHN,  I.  G.     Lickdale,  Lebanon  County,  Pa. 

Bolton,  Dr.  B.  Meade.  Chief  of  Bacteriological  Depart- 
ment, City  of  Philadelphia. 

BoYER,  Howard  N.     Reading,  Pa. 

Bradford,  James  G.     Reading,  Pa.     (Cryptogams.) 

Brasier,  a.  J.*     Philadelphia. 

Bridges,  Dr.  Robert.*     Philadelphia. 

Brinckle,  William  D.*  An  experimenter  Avith  the  rasp- 
berry, Philadelphia,  1820-1863.  See  Bailey,  "The 
Evolution  of  Our  Native  Fruits,"  p.  282. 

Bromfield,  E.  T.,  D.  D.     Philadelphia. 

Browne,  Peter  A.* 

Buckley,  S.  B.*      Philadelphia. 

Bunting,  Dr.  Martha.  Special  student  in  biology,  Uni- 
versit}^  of  Pennsylvania  ;  graduate  student  in  Bryn 
Mawr  College,  where  she  obtained  her  Ph.  D  ;  teacher 
in  Woman's  College,  Baltimore,  and  Philadelphia 
Girls'  High  School ;  author  of  "  The  Structure  of  the 
Cork  Tissues  in  Roots  of  Some  Rosaceous  Genera," 
Contributions  from  Botanical  Lahoratory,  University 
of  Pennsylvania^  II :  54,  with  plate. 

*  Deceased. 


406  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

BussiER,  Miss  K.     Germantown,  Philadelphia. 

Chambers,  Miss  Sara  D.  Assisted  in  botany  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia. 

Cochrane,  Professor.     West  Chester,  Pa. 

Collins,  Zaccheus.*  Vice-President  American  Philosophi- 
cal Society  and  member  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  where  he  did  good  work  on  the  herbarium. 
Born  1764,  died  June  12,  1831,  aged  67. 

CoLSON,  Miss  Jessie.  Prominently  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Woodstown  Natural  History  Club,  and  a 
trained  botanist,  having  studied  at  Swarthmore  Col- 
lege and  the  Biological  School  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  she  was  Assistant  for  one  year. 

CoNARD,  Henry  S.  A  teacher  in  the  Westtown  School  and 
Fellow  in  Biology,  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
Author  of  a  paper  on  Painter's  Arboretum. 

CoRREA,  Abbe.*  In  1815  he  published,  for  the  use  of  his 
classes  in  Philadelphia,  a  reduction  of  the  genera  in 
Muhlenberg's  Catalogue,  according  to  the  natural 
families  of  plants  of  Jussieu.  This  was  appended 
to  the  second  editioi],  jof  the  catalogue,  issued  in 
1818  by  Solomon  Conrad,  and  was  probably  the 
earliest  attempt  in  the  United  States  to  group  our 
plants  by  the  natural  method.  See  page  154  of  this 
book. 

Cressman,  Newton  F.     Pel  ham,  Germantown. 

Cressman,  Philip."^ 

Cross,  Dr.  Laura  B.  Student  and  graduate  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Biology,  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Davis,  Nelson  F.     Lewisburg,  Pa. 

*  Deceased. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'll  I  LA  I)1:L1'II  I  A.  407 

DsHAJiT,  William.  A  coiUeinponiiy  of  Willimn  liar- 
tram,  tlie  owner  of  a  garden  al  Fifly-lifili  an<l 
Woodland  Avenue,  where  gi'ow  many  rare  [»lants, 
such  as  Gordo'iiia  p>ihcsceits,  iJirca  jxilnstris,  Pijrv.s 
coronaria. 

Dick,  John.  Nurseryman  and  liorist.  AVas  born  in  LSlS, 
and  died  Dccemlx^r  20,  ISOS. 

Drown,  Edward.     Florist  and  botanist,  Weldon,  Pa. 

EsREY,  Dr.* 

Febiger,  Christian,*  of  Wilmington,  Del.  A  diatomist  who 
labored  incessantly  for  twenty  years,  amassing  a  col- 
lection which  is  now  in  possession  of  the  ^licro- 
scopical  Section  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

Fetterolf,  Dr.  Daniel  W.     Philadelphia. 

Fox,  Henry.  Student  in  the  Department  of  Biology, 
University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Garrigues,  S.  S.*     Philadelphia. 

Goddard,  Dr.  Paul  B.*     Philadelphia. 

Green,  Dr.  Edgar  M.     Easton,  Pa. 

Griffith,  R.  E.* 

Gross,  Christian.     Landisville,  Atlantic  County,  N.  J. 

Hacker,  William.     Philadelphia. 

Haines,  William  S.*  A  lawyer  of  note,  resident  in  AVest 
Chester.  Was  well  known  for  his  devotion  to 
scientific  pursuits,  having  added  many  interesting 
species  to  the  mycologic  flora  of  Chester  County. 
He  died  February  22,  18S4,  in  West  Chester,  Pa. 

Harvey,  Professor  F.  L.,  of  Orono,  Maine,  formerly  a  resi- 
dent of  Philadelphia. 


*  Deceased. 


408  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Harris,  Robert  C,  M.  D.*  Studied  the  evolution  and 
variation  in  our  cultivated  plants  by  experimental 
culture.  He  was  especially  interested  in  the  cucurbits, 
having  raised  nearly  all  sorts. 

Harvey,  Miss  Margaret  B.     Bryn  Mawr,  Pa. 

Heubener,  Dr.,*  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  who  published  "  Cata- 
logue of  the  Plants  of  Northampton  County  "  in  Sil- 
liman^s  Journal. 

HiLGARD,  Dr.  T.  G. 

HiMES,  Wm.,  Jr.     Bon  view,  Lancaster  Countv,  Pa. 

Holmes,  Miss  Mary  E.     Philadelphia. 

Holt,  Dr.  J.  F.  Professor  of  the  Natural  Sciences  in  the 
Philadelphia  High  School. 

HuBNER,  Rev.  Mr.*  A  contemporary  of  Humphry  Mar- 
shall, mentioned  in  Darlington's  "Memorials  of 
Bartram  and  Marshall  "  (page  572). 

Hunt,  Dr.  Emily  G.  Philadelphia.  A  very  entertaining 
lecturer  on  plants. 

Jackson,  John,  and  his  son,* 

Jackson,  William.*  Were  friends  and  neighbors  of 
Humphr}^  Marshall  in  the  year  1777.  They  com- 
menced a  highly  interesting  collection  of  plants  at 
their  home  in  Londongrove,  which,  in  1849,  was  still 
in  good  condition. 

IvAMPMAN,  Dr.*     a  contemporary  of  Humphry  Marshall. 

Kenderdine,  Robert  S.*     Philadelphia. 

Kercher,  Dr.  D.  E.     Philadelphia.     (]\Iyxomycetes.) 

Kitchel,  H.  S.     Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Knight,  D.  Allen.     Philadelphia. 

Kramsh,  Rev.  Samuel.*  A  contemporary  of  Humphry 
Marshall,  with  whom  he  corresponded. 

*  Deceased. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA.  409 

Laubach,  S.  H.     Riegelsvilks  Ikicks  ('ounty,  Pa. 

Le  Boutillikr,  Rop,ekts.  An  orchid  connoisseur,  German- 
town,  Philadelphia. 

Legaux,  Peter.*  A  vine  grower  at  Spring  Mills,  Pa., 
about  1800.  See  Bailey,  "The  Evolution  of  Our 
Native  Fruits,"  pp.  19,  25,  42. 

Leidy,  Dr.  Joseph.*  A  distinguished  Ijiologist.  His 
herbarium  is  in  the  possession  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Lewis,  May. 

Lewis,  Dr.  F.  W.     A  diatomist  and  microscopist. 

Lewton,  Frederick  L.  One  of  the  curators  at  the  Phila- 
delphia Commercial  Museums,  familiar  with  the 
local  flora  and  author  of  a  paper  on  "  The  Classifica- 
tion of  Gums  and  Resins" — American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1899. 

Lochman,  Charles  L.  A  photographer  of  flowers  and 
plants,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Mack,  I.  Lathrop.     Hammonton,  N.  J. 

Maclure,  WiLLiAM.f  A  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  and  its  president  for  more  than 
twenty  years ;  was  a  successful  London  merchant.  He 
resided  for  many  years  in  Philadelphia.  He  made  a 
geological  survey  of  the  United  States,  a  description 
of  which  was  published  in  1809.  After  him  was 
named  the  osage  orange,  Madura  aurantiaca. 

Maison,  Robert  S.,  M.  D.,  of  Chester,  Pa. 

March,  Benjamin  S. 

Matos,  Louis  J.     Philadelphia  Commercial  Museums. 

*  Deceased. 

t  The  Gardeners'  Monthly   (Meehan),  II,  p.   360.     See  for    more    extended 
biography,  Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography. 


410  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Meehax,  Joseph.  A  horticulturist  and  botanist  (brother  of 
Thomas).    Germantown. 

Milner,  Nathax.* 

Miller,  Dr.  Morris  B.     Media,  Pa. 

M'MixN,  John.* 

McKexxey,  Raxdolph  E.  B.  Student  in  the  Department 
of  Biology,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
took  the  degrees  of  B.  S.  and  M.  S.  Author  of  "  Obser- 
vations on  the  Development  of  Some  Embryo-sacs," 
Contributions  from  Botanical  Laboratory,  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  II :  80,  with  plate. 

NiEDERLEix,  Gustavo.  A  German  botanist  from  South 
America ;  Chief  of  the  Scientific  Department  of  the 
Commercial  Museums.  He  has  traveled  extensively 
in  South  America,  Europe,  and  the  far  East,  and  is 
the  author  of  a  number  of  valuable  botanical  papers 
in  German,  Spanish  and  English. 

Null,  Amos  B.     Bonview,  Lancaster  County,  Pa. 

Omexsetter,  Johx  K. 

Otis,  Miss  Lois  M.  Assistant  in  Botany,  Girls'  High  School, 
Philadelphia. 

Peirce,  Joshua,"^  and 

Peirce,  Samuel,"^  of  East  Marlborough,  Chester  County, 
Pa.,  in  1800  began  to  adorn  their  premises  by 
tasteful  culture  and  planting  until  they  produced  an 
arboretum  of  considerable  interest  and  importance. 
The  trees  planted  by  them  were  many  of  them  still 
standing  in  1896,  when  the  place  was  visited  by  the 
writer,  in  company  with  Dr.  W.  T.  Sharpless,  of 
West  Chester.  A  large  and  fine  tree,  in  full  flower, 
of  Magnolia  macrophylla,  was  especially  noted. 

*  Deceased. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OK    I'll  1  LA  I  )i:iJ*H  I  A.  411 

Pennington,  Dk.  Makv  En(;lk.  A  eart'ful  clK'Hiico-physi- 
ological  woi'kiT,  late'  Fellow  in  J>()tany,  rnivcrsity 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  author  oi'  a  vahiaUK'  papci*  in 
the  Botanical  Contribuiioii.s  of  the  Jjnivfn^ity  of  l*eim- 
sylvania,  1 :  203,  entitled,  "  A  Cheniico-Physiological 
Study  of  Spirogyra  nitida." 

Pennock,  Edward.  Dealer  in  botanical  and  medical  sup- 
plies, Philadelphia. 

Peters,  Rev.  John  E.  A  botanist  and  collector  of  con- 
siderable insight,  located  as  pastor  successively  at 
May's  Landing,  Pleasantville  and  Camden,  N.  J. 

Porter,  Dr.  Hob  art  C.  Graduate  of  Princeton  in  18S1 ; 
received  the  degree  of  B.  L.  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1884,  and  Ph.  D.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Rostock,  Germany  in  1894;  Instructor  in 
Botany,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  translator 
of  "xA  Text-Book  of  Botany,"  by  Strasburger,  Noll, 
Schenck,  and  Schimper,  1808.  Dr.  Porter  has  special- 
ized on  the  alga3  and  the  vascular  cryptogams,  hav- 
ing, as  Lecturer  in  the  Department  of  Philosophy 
and  Department  for  Teachers,  given  extended  labora- 
tory courses  on  the  same. 

Potts,  Cpiarles. 

Price,  Ferris  W.     Swarthmore  College,  Pa. 

PuGH,  Evan.*  Mentioned  as  a  collector  of  plants  in  the 
••'  Flora  Cestrica." 

Putnam,  Miss  Bessie  L.     Harmonsburg,  Pa. 

Pyle,  Miss  Gheretien  G.     A\'ilmington,  Del. 

Rand,  Theodore. 

Rau,  Eugene  A.,  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.  A  student  of  mosses 
and  fungi. 

*  Deceased. 


412  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Ravexel,  Dr.  Mazyck  P.  Bacteriologist  to  State  Live 
Stock  and  Sanitary  Board,  and  Instructor  in  Bacteri- 
ology, University  of  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Ravenel 
has  published  extensively  on  bacteriological  sub- 
jects. 

Eead,  James. 

Remington,  Professor  J.  P.  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy. 

Richter,  Walter  H.     Ashbourne,  Pa. 

Rorer,  Mrs.  S.  T.  Interested  in  fungi  as  a  valuable  food 
supply.     Philadelphia. 

RoTHROCK,  Dr.  Harry.     West  Chester,  Pa. 

Ruschenberger,  Dr.  W.  S.  W.'^  A  distinguished  Phila- 
delphia scientist,  who,  in  the  early  days  of  his  career 
in  1831  and  1833,  published,  in  Silliman's  Journal,  a 
translation  of  a  paper  by  Dr.  C.  P.  Bertero,  entitled, 
"  A  List  of  the  Plants  of  Chili."  Later,  he  published 
"  Elements  of  Natural  History,"  embracing  zoology, 
botaii}^  and  geology  (two  volumes,  1850). 

RusHMORE,  Dr.  Edward.     Plainfield,  N.  J. 

Ruth,  Dr.  Harry  F.     Lehnenberg,  Bucks  County,  Pa. 

RuTTER,  A.  C.     Sellersville,  Pa. 

Saunders,  C.  F.  Philadelphia,  Pa.  A  popular  contributor 
to  the  botanical  and  horticultural  press. 

Sayers,  Mrs.  Edwin  S.     Philadelphia. 

Schively,  Dr.  Mary.     Philadelphia. 

ScHivELY,  Dr.  Adeline  F.  Received  from  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  1892,  a  certificate  in  biology, 
and  in  1897  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  from  the  same 
institution.     She    was   made    Honorary    Fellow   in 

*  Deceased. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'll  I LADKLTHI  A.  413 

Botany   in    1S*J7,  which    lH'll()\vslii[>   she   still    holds. 
Dr.    Schively,  as   Assistant     in    the    Dcpailnient   of 
Biology,  Girls'   Normal  School,  has   done   much  to 
stimulate  an  interest  in  botany  among  her  students. 
She  is  the  author  of  several  botanical  papers,  viz. : 
"Contributions  to  the  Life  History  of  Amphicariui'a 
monoica,"     Contribuiions    Botanical  Laboratory,  I'ai- 
versity  of  Pennsylvania,  1 :  270  and  II :  20. 
Schmucker,Dr.  Samuel  Christian.     A  graduate  of  Muh- 
lenberg College  in  1882,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
From  the  same  institution,  in  1884,  he  received  the 
degree  of  S.  B. ;    1885,  A.  M. ;  S.  M.,  1801.     He  is 
Professor  of    Biology    in   the    West    Chester   State 
Normal  School,  and    Honorary   Fellow  in    Botany, 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  1807,  to  date. 
Sensenig,  David  M.     West  Chester,  Pa. 
Shafer,  John  A.,  Ph.  G.     Carnot,  Pa. 
Shaw,  C.  H.     Graduate   Student   Department  of    Biology, 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Teacher  of  Biology 
in  Temple  College,  Philadelphia. 
Shulze,  John  A.     Philadelphia.     (Diatoms.) 
Simmons,  John. 

Simons,  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Assistant  in  Botany,  Girls' 
High  School,  Philadelphia.  Author  of  "  Compara- 
tive Studies  on  the  Rate  of  Circumnutation  of  Some 
Flowering  Plants,"  Contributiom  from  Botanical 
Laboratory,  Umversity  of  Pennsylvania,  II  :  00. 
Smith,  Benjamin  H.  A  botanist  of  repute,  actively  engaged 
in  the  scientific  work  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  private  herba- 
riums in  the  city. 


414  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Smith,  Miss  Amelia  C.     Student   in   the   Department   of 

Biology,  University  of  Pennsylvania.     Author  of  a 

paper  on  "  Aphyllon  vniflorum.^' 
SxYDER,  Jacob.* 

Stauffer,  Jacob."^     Lancaster,  Pa. 
Stenz,  Charles  F.     Natrona,  Pa. 
Stokes,  A.  S. 

Stowell,  Willard  a.     Trenton,  N.  J. 
SuTTOX,  Harry  I.     Philadelphia. 
Thompson,  Miss  Caroline  B.     Student  in  the  Department 

of  Biology,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  author 

of  a  paper  on  "  The  Structure  and  Development  of 

Internal  Phloem  in  Gelsemium  sempervirens.  Ait," 

Contributions  from  Botanical  Laboratory,  University  of 

Pennsylvania,  II :  41,  with  plate. 
Trimble,  William.     A  botanist  familiar  with  the  plants  of 

Philadelphia  and  vicinity. 
Trimble,  Dr.  Samuel.     Lima,  Delaware  County,  Pa. 
Troth,   Henry.     A   noted   photographer   of    plants    and 

flowers.     Philadelphia. 
A^AN  Vleck,  Rev.  Jacob.     A   contemporary  of  Humphry 

Marshall. 
Walmsley,  W.   H.     a  diatomist,  micro-photographer  and 

noted  optician. 
Watters,  Prof.  Leon  H.     Media,  Pa.    A  microscopist  of 

some  note. 
Weaver,  Gerritt  E.  H.     Philadelphia. 
Williams,  Miss,  New  Hope,  Pa.      A  maker  of  excellent 

water-color  sketches  of  wild  flowers. 


*  Deceased. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PiriLADELPIIIA.  415 

Wilson,  Dk.  Lucy  Lan<;don  Williams.  Tcaclici'  of  tlie 
Natural  Sciences  in  the  Philaddpliia  ( iirls' Normal 
School ;  graduate  (Ph.D.)  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  author  of  several  books  and  papers  on 
science  subjects.  A  recent  paper  is  notewortliy : 
"  Observations  on  Conopholis  Americana."  Coiitrihu- 
tions  from  Botanical  Laboratory,  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, II :  3,  with  six  plates. 

WiSTER,  Caspar.* 

WiSTAR,  Caspar,  Jr.* 

WoLLE,  Jacob,*  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  was  l)orn  at  Bethany, 
on  the  Island  of  St.  John,  West  Indies,  August,  17SS, 
and  died  at  Bethlehem,  April,  18G3.  He  was  for  a 
number  of  years  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  had  a  fine 
collection  of  plants. 

Zantzinger,  AVm.  S. 

Zell,  Mrs.  Lydia  Dieler.  Librarian  Linna-an  Society, 
Lancaster,  Pa. 


*  Deceased. 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX   I. 

Members  of  the  Philadelphia  Botanical  Club, 

who  are  actively  collecting  and  herborizing. 


Corrected  to  November  26,  1895. 


BiDDLE,  Charles  J., 
Bassett,  Frank  L., 
Brown,  Stewardson, 
Brown,  Dr.  A.  P., 
Carson,  Dr.  Elwood  M., 
Cheney,  Jesse  S., 
Day,  Richard  H., 
Day,  Frank  Miles, 
Evans,  Dr.  William, 
Holmes,  Jesse  H., 
Jahn,  Albrecht, 
Kerniski,  Professor  J.  B., 
Kirk,  Elwood  J., 
Krout,  Professor  A.  F.  K., 
Kimball,  C.  W., 
Kite,  Nathan, 
Longstreth,  M.  R., 
LiPPiNcoTT,  Charles  D., 
Lightfoot,  Dr.  Thomas  M. 
LoESSLE,  Henry  A., 


Philadelphia. 

Hammonton,  X.  J. 

Germantown. 

German  town. 

Xorristown,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Germantown. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Newtown,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Lancaster,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Haddonfield,  N.  J. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Swedesboro,  N.  J. 

Germantown. 

Philadelphia. 


416 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    rHILADELPHIA. 


417 


Moms,  J.  Bernard, 
MoERCK,  Frank  X., 
MoYER,  Dr.  J.  S., 
Oberholtzer,  John  E., 
Pennypacker,  J.  T., 
Reed,  Dr.  W.  H., 
Saurman,  B.  F., 
Schneider,  Louis, 
Spencely,  Cornelius, 
Serrill,  Wm.  J., 
Stone,  Hugh  E., 
Stone,  Witmer, 
Stiles,  Harry', 
Stahr,  President  J.  S., 
Saunders,  C.  F., 
Turner,  Alexander, 
Thomas,  Dr.  Joseph, 
Woodbury,  Dr.  Frank, 


Yeadon,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Quakertown,  Pa. 
Norristown,  Pa. 
Wilmington,  Del. 
Norristown,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Coatesville,  Pa. 
Germantown,  Pa. 
Haddonfield,  N.  J. 
Lancaster,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Quakertown,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 


APPENDIX   11. 


Members  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 

1 897- 1 899. 


Abbott,  Miss  E.  0., 
Abernethy,  Miss  E.  G., 
AsHMORE,  Miss  L.  J., 
Bancroft,  Miss  Margaret, 
Barr,  Miss  E., 
Barker,  Miss  D., 
Belden,  Miss  J.  C, 


Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Haddonfield,  N.  J. 

Wayne,  Delaware  Co.,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 


418 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 


Bengard,  Miss  L.  E., 
Berry,  Miss, 

BoYER,  Professor  Charles  S. 
Brock,  Robert  C.  H., 
Brock,  Mrs.  C.  H., 
Brown,  Miss, 
Bunting,  Dr.  Martha, 
Banes,  R.  C. 
Barclay,  F.  W., 
Brock,  John  W., 
Bancroft,  Miss  Margaret, 
Clark,  Miss  Edith, 
Claye,  Miss  C.  B.  F., 
Cliff,  Miss  Etta, 
Coles,  Mrs.  J.  W., 
Coles,  Miss, 
CoNARD,  Henry  S., 
CoRNMAN,  Mrs.  Mary, 
Crowell,  Miss  H.  W., 
Crowell,  Miss  M.  C, 
Croft,  Samuel, 
Craig,  Dr.  W.  F., 
Curtis,  Miss, 
Colfelt,  Mrs.  R., 
Carr,  Mrs.  Cassandra, 
Dougherty,  T.  Harvey, 
Dissel,  Charles, 
Ehinger,  Professor  C.  E., 
Fox,  Mrs.  L.  R., 
Free,  Dr.  G.  B.  M., 
FiNDLAY,  William, 


Moorestown,  N.  J. 
Pliiladelphia. 
,  Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Haverford,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Haddonfield,  X.  J. 
Philadelphia. 
Moorestown,  N.  J. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Westtown  Academy,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
West  Chester,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Williamson  School,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PIIILADKLPIIIA. 


4111 


Gendell,  Miss  Lucy, 
Gardiner,  Miss  Ella  J., 
Garretson,  Miss  Marian, 
Gibson,  Miss  Mary, 
Gilbert,  Miss, 
Harrison,  Provost  C.  C, 
Harrison,  Mrs.  C.  C, 
Haigh,  Mrs.  M.  B., 
Hall,  Annie  B., 
Hallowell,  Mrs.  Sarah  P.  F., 
Harshberger,  Dr.  J.  W., 
Heston,  Mrs., 
Head,  Miss  Harriet, 
Homer,  Mathias, 
Hodgson,  Miss  E., 
Houston,  S.  F., 
Hunt,  Dr.  Emily, 
Henry,  Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  W., 
Harris,  Mrs.  W.  T., 
Harper,  W.  W., 
Ide,  Miss  Nellie, 
James,  Miss  S., 
Jones,  Miss  Julia  F., 
Johnston,  Mrs.  Emory"  R., 
Kraemer,  Professor  Henry", 
Lathrop,  Dr.  Ruth, 
Larkin,  Mrs.  Sophie, 
Lindsay,  Miss, 
Le  Boutillier,  Roberts, 
Longshore,  M.  Elizabeth, 
LowBER,  Miss, 


Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadel[>hia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Newtown,  Bucks  County,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Lansdowne,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Cynw3"d,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Lansdowne,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Chester. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Cynwyd,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 


420 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 


LuDwiG,  Miss  Florence, 
Mackenzie,  Miss  Adele, 
Macfarlane,  Professor  J.  M., 
Manning,  Miss  Katherine  S., 
Marshall,  Mrs.  H.  R., 
McMichael,  C.  Emory, 
Michener,  Professor, 
Miller,  Dr.  Adolph  W., 
Morton,  Charles, 
MoRWiTZ,  Joseph, 
Myers,  Miss  Jane  V., 
Marot,  Philip, 
Manning,  Katherine  S., 
Nassau,  Mrs.  C, 
Newlin,  Miss  Sarah, 
Nicholson,  Miss  Katherine, 
Oliver,  General  Paul  A., 

Palmer,  T.  Chalkley, 
Pennock,  Aldrich, 
Pendleton,  Miss  C, 
Porter,  Dr.  H.  C, 
Peart,  Mrs.  Mary, 
Roberts,  Miss  C.  E., 
Roberts,  Miss  F.  A., 
Robertson,  Mrs.  A.  D., 
Robins,  Thomas, 
Rorer,  Mrs.  S.  T., 
RoRER,  Mr., 
Ravenel,  Dr.  M.  P., 
Sabold,  Miss  E.  C, 
Sayre,  Professor, 


Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Cynwyd,  Mont.  Co.,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Forest   Roads,    Fern  Lodge, 

Oliver's  Mills,  Pa. 
Media,  Pa. 
Lansdowne,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Bala,  Pa. 
Bala,  Pa. 
Ridley  Park,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 
Philadelphia. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHTLADKLl'HIA, 


421 


SCHMUCKER,  Dr.  S.  C, 

Schuyler,  Miss, 
Shaw,  C.  S., 

ScHivELY,  Dr.  Adeline  F., 
ScHivELY,  Miss  M.  S., 
Sill,  Mrs.  Harold, 
Smith,  Miss  Ethel, 
Smith,  Miss  C.  M., 
Shallcross,  Miss  Rebecca, 
Snowden,  Miss  Louise, 
Spear,  Mrs.  Louise  M., 
Staley,  Miss  S., 

Strawhower,  Miss  E.  F., 
Stetson,  John  P., 
Snowden,  Mrs.  A.  Louden, 
Sell,  Mrs.  Pauline  W., 
Townsend,  Edgar  N., 
Trainor,  Mrs.  Newlin, 
TuNDLE,  Miss, 
Vansant,  Miss  Belle, 
Walmsley,  W.  H., 
Wetherill,  Anna  T., 
Williams,  Dr.  Talcott, 
Watters,  Professor  Leon, 

WOODBRIDGE,  MrS., 

Williams,  Mrs.  Mary, 
Wicks,  Mrs.  M.  B., 
Wind  EL,  Francis, 
Williams,  Thyrza  C, 
Yarnall,  Miss, 
Yarnall,  Miss, 


West  Cliester,  Pa. 

Lansdowne,  Pa. 

Philadelpliia. 

Pliiladelpliia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Wallingford,  Pa. 

Layfayette  Hall, 

Montgomery  Co.,  Pa. 
Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Rutledge,  Pa. 
Chester,  Pa. 
Haddonfield,  N.  J. 

George  School,  Bucks  Co.,  Pa 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Philadelphia. 

Media,  Pa. 

Chester,  Pa. 

Philadelphia. 

Rutledge,  Pa. 

West  Chester,  Pa. 

Haddonfield,  N.  J. 

Philadelphia. 

Yeadon,  Delaware  Co.,  Pa. 


422  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

appendix  hi. 

Philadelphia  Moss  Chapter. 

The  Philadelphia  Moss  Chapter  was  organized  in 
February,  1899,  by  those  interested  in  the  study  of  the  moss 
flora  of  the  neighborhood.  The  following  officers  were 
elected  :  President,  Dr.  A.  F.  K.  Krout ;  Recording  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer,  Mr.  Alexander  McElwee ;  Correspond- 
ing Secretary,  Mrs.  Josephine  B.  Lowe.  The  object  of  the 
Chapter  is  to  gather  and  classify  the  Musci  hepatic^  and  Musci 
frondosi  of  the  neighborhood,  and  to  gradually  make  an 
herbarium  of  the  typical  forms  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city. 


appendix  iv. 

An  Historical  Account 

of  the 

Scientific  Journals  and  Serial  Publications 

Issued  from   Philadelphia. 


C Containing  articles  on  botany,   and  from  related  departments  of  science.) 


1.  Early  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Useful  Knowledge,  compiled 
by  one  of  the  secretaries.  From  the  Manuscript  Minutes  of 
the  Meetings  from  174J  to  1838.  Philadelphia,  1884,  pp.  iii, 
1875,  with  index. 

2.  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
held  at  Philadelphia,  for  Promoting  Useful  Knowledge. 
Volume  I,  octavo,  for  the  years  1838,  1839  and  1840. 
This  publication  has  been  continued  to  date. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    rHILADKLlM  I  I  A.  ['2o 

3.  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosopliical  Society, 
held  at  Pliiladelphia,  for  Proniotin*;-  L^S(■flll  Knowledge. 
Volume  I,  from  January  1,  ITOU,  to  January  1.  1771  : 
Philadelphia,  1771,  large  octavo.  Second  edition  corrected 
1789,  runs  until  Volume  VI,  1809,  the  size  of  the  i)age 
gradually  increasing.  Volume  I,  new  series,  Philadelphia, 
1818,  runs  to  Vol.  XVI,  1890. 

4.  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Phila- 
delphia. Volume  I,  Part  1, 1817.  Part  2,  1818,  running  to 
Vol.  VIII,  Part  1,  1839,  and  Part  2,  1842,  when  it  was 
enlarged  to  quarto.  Volume  I,  second  series,  1847-1  S.jO, 
running  to  the  last  number  issued.  Volume  XI,  Part  2, 1899. 

5.  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia.  Volume  1,  1841,  1842,  1843,  octavo;  printed 
in  1843,  running  to  present  year. 

6.  The  Franklin  Journal  and  American  Mechanics' 
Magazine,  devoted  to  the  Useful  xlrts.  Internal  Improvements 
and  General  Science,  under  the  Patronage  of  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  .  Volume  I,  Phila- 
delphia, 1826,  octavo  running  to  Volume  IV,  1827,  when  it 
was  named :  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  devoted  to  the  Mechanic  Arts,  Manufactures, 
General  Science,  and  the  recording  of  American  and  other 
Patented  Inventions.  Volume  I,  new  series,  1828,  ran  to 
Volume  XXVI,  1840,  when  the  third  series  was  begun, 
running  to  date  (74th  year).  In  Volume  XVII,  1836,  the 
title  was  again  changed  to  read:  Journal  of  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  Mechanics' 
Register,  devoted  to  Mechanical  and  Physical  Science,  Civil 
Endneerinp;,  the  Arts  and  Manufactures,  and  the  recording 
of  American  and  other  Patented  Inventions.    The  title  was 


424  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

changed  at  Volume  XLII  (third  series),  1861,  to  read : 
Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  the  Promotion  of  the  Mechanic  Arts,  devoted  to 
Mechanical  and  Physical  Science,  Civil  Engineering,  the 
Arts  and  Manufactures.  At  Volume  LIV  (third  series), 
1867,  the  present  title  was  adopted  :  The  Journal  of  the 
Franklin  Institute,  devoted  to  Science  and  the  Mechanic 
Arts. 

7.  Journal  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
Volume  I,  octavo,  Philadelphia,  1830,  ran  to  Volume  VI, 
when  it  became  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.  Volume 
I,  new  series,  running  to  Volume  XVIII,  1852,  when  it 
became  third  series.  Volume  I,  1853,  running  to  Volume 
XLII,  1870,  when  the  fourth  series  was  started.  Volume  I, 
1871,  running  to  date,  1899,  the  last  volume  being  No.  71, 
of  all  the  series. 

8.  Also  under  the  auspices  of  the  College  of  Pharmacy, 
the  Alumni  Report,  published  by  the  Alumni  Association, 
beginning  with  Volume  I,  1864. 

9.  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  published  in  Philadelphia  from  1852  to  date, 
Volume  XLVI,  1898. 

10.  The  Gardeners'  Monthly  and  Horticultural  Adver- 
tiser, devoted  to  Horticulture,  Arboriculture,  Botany  and 
Rural  Affairs.  Edited  by  Thomas  Meehan.  Volume  1, 1 859. 
The  title  was  changed  to  read  (Volume  XVI,  1874),  The 
Gardeners'  Monthly  and  Horticultural  Advertiser,  devoted 
to  Horticulture,  Arboriculture,  and  Rural  Affairs,  running 
to  Volume  XXIX,  1887,  and  one  number.  Volume  XXX, 
January,  1888,  when  it  ceased.  Later,  under  the  editorial 
supervision  of  Thomas  Meehan  &  Sons,  a  new  journal  was 
started  under  the  name :  Median's  Monthly.     A  Magazine 


THE     BOTANISTS    OF    Pll  I  I.A  Dlll.ril  I  A.  i'l'j 

of  Horticulture,  Botany   and   Kindred  Su])JL'cts.     \^)luin('S 
I  and  II,  1891-1892,  running  to  date. 

11.  The  American  Naturalist.  \^)luine  1.  published  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  1868  (octavo),  until  \^»luiiic  XX.  1n7<*>.  when 
it  was  printed  at  Boston,  until  A'olume  XII.  1.s7n.  wlicn  the 
publication  was  transferred  to  Pliiladeli)]iia,  wliere  it  still 
continues  to  be  printed. 

12.  Transactions  of  the  Wagner  Free  Institute  of  Science 
of  Philadelphia.  Quarto,  Volume  T.  May,  ISST.  \V)lume 
II,  December,  1889.  Volume  III,  Part  I.  August,  1890. 
Part  2,  December,  1892.  Part  3,  March,  1.S95.  Part  4, 
April,  1898.  Volume  IV,  January,  1891),  begun.  Volume 
V,  January,  1898,  begun. 

13.  Forest  Leaves,  started  July,  1880,  has  run  to  Volume 
VII,  No.  4,  August,  1899.  Published  bi-monthly  by  the 
Pennsylvania  Forestry  Association. 

14.  Contributions  from  the  Botanical  Laljoratory  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  A  serial  [)uljlication,  begun 
in  1892,  and  devoted  to  botanical  articles  by  the  profes.sors, 
instructors  and  students  of  the  School  of  Biology.  The  first 
two  numbers  of  Volume  I  were  published  under  similar 
cover,  and  the  title  of  the  plates  were  similarly  printed 
(Bot.  Cont.  Univ.  Penna.),  but  No.  3,  A\»lume  I.  1S1»7.  was 
published  for  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  with  the 
authorization  of  the  Committee  on' Publication.  The  covers 
now  conform  with  Publications  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania (new  series).  As  set  forth  in  the  classification, 
the  Contributions  from  the  Botanical  Laboratory  belong- 
to  Group  II,  Serial  Publications,  Series  in  Bofauy.  The 
articles  that  have  so  far  appeared  are  as  follows  :  * 

*The  headings  of  the  phites  in  Volume  I.  Xo.  :i,  and  Volume  H.  No.  1,  were 
changed,  the  numbers  being  unbracketed.  as  in  the  two  previous  numbers,  and  the 
title  reading  "  Bot.  Contrib.  Univ.  Penna." 


426  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Volume  I — No.  1. 

(Plates  I-XIII.) 

1.  ^'A  Monstrous  Specimen  of  Rudbeckia  hirta,  L."  Bj'  J.  T. 
Eothrock,  B.  S.,  M.  D. 

2.  ''Contributions  to  the  Histoiy  of  Dionsea  Muscipula,  Ellis."  By 
J.  M.  Macfarlane,  D.  Sc. 

3.  *' An  Abnormal  Development  of  the  Inflorescence  of  Dionsea."  By 
John  W.  Harshberger,  A.  B.,  B.  S. 

4.  "  :\Iangrove  Tannin."     By  H.  Trimble,  Ph.  M. 

5.  "Observations  on  Epigsea  repens,  L."     By  W.  P.  Wilson,  D.  Sc. 

6.  "A  Nascent  Variety  of  Brunella  vulgaris,  L."  By  J.  T.  Roth- 
rock,  B.  S.,  M.  D. 

7.  ''  Preliminary  Observations  on  the  Movements  of  the  Leaves  of 
Melilotus  alba,  L.,  and  other  plants.  By  W.  P.  Wilson,  Sc.  D.  and  J.  M. 
Greenman. 

Volume  I — Xo.  2. 

(Plates  XIV-XVII.) 

8.  "Maize:  A  Botanical  and  Economic  Study."  By  John  W. 
Harshberger,  Ph.  D. 


(Plates  XVIII-XXXVI.) 

9.   "  A  Chemico-Physiological  Study  of   Spirogyra  nitida"     By  Mary 

E.  Pennington,  Ph.  D. 

10.  "  On  the  Structure  and  Pollination  of  the  Flowers  of  Eupatorium 
ageratoides  and  E.  coelestinum.     By  Laura  B.  Cross,  Ph.  D. 

11.  "  Contributions  to  the  Life-History  of  Amphicarpsea  monoica. ' '     By 
Adeline  F.  Schively,  Ph.  D. 

Volume  II — No.  1. 

(Plates  I-XIL) 

1.  "Observations  on  Conopholis  Americana."  By  Lucy  L.  W. 
Wilson,  Ph.  D.,  Head  of  the  Biological  Department,  Philadelphia  Normal 
School  for  Girls.     (With  plates  i-vi. ) 

2.  "Recent  Observations  on  Amphicarpaea  Monoica."     By  Adeline 

F.  Schively,  Ph.  D.,  Honorary  Fellow  in  Botany. 


THE    BOTANISTS    01'    I'l  I  II.A  I  »i:i.I'J  11  A.  j'JT 

3.  "Water  Storage  and  Conduction  in  Senccio  pnicox.  I).  C,  from 
Mexico."  By  John  AV.  Harshberger,  Ph.  I).,  InstiiiL-t<tr  in  I'.otany.  (With 
plates  vii-viii. ) 

4.  "Structure  and  Development  of  Internal  IMiloem  in  (Jclsj-mium 
sempervirens,  Ait.     By  Caroline  B.  Thompson,  B.  S.      ( Witli  phit<'  ix.  ) 

5.  "Structure  of  the  Cork  Tissues  in  Roots  of  some  Kosiiceous 
Genera."     By  Martha  Bunting,  Ph.  D.     (With  plate  x. ) 

6.  "  Comparative  Studies  on  the  Ix^ite  of  Circuninutation  of  some 
Flowering  Plants,"     By  Elizabeth  A.  Simons. 

7.  "Observations  on  the  Development  of  some  Embryo-sacs."  V,y 
Randolph  E.  B.  McKenney,  B.  S.     (With  plate  xi. ) 

8.  "  Observations  on  some  Hybrids  between  Drosera  filiformis  and  D. 
intermedia."  By  John  M.  Macfarlane,  D.  Sc,  Professor  of  Botany.  (  With 
plate  xii ) . 

9.  "Statistical  Information  Concerning  the  Production  of  Fruits  and 
Seeds  in  Certain  Plants."  By  John  W.  Harshberger,  Ph.  D.,  Instructor  in 
Botany. 

15.  The  Forester,  an  Illustrated  Bi-nioiithly  Pamphlet, 
devoted  to  the  Development  of  our  Forests.  Official  Organ 
of  the  South  Jersey  Woodmen's  Association,  begun  at  May's 
Landing,  N.  J.,  January,  1895,  by  John  Gifford  ;  later  pub- 
lished at  Camden,  N.  J.  Later  it  became  The  Forester.  An 
Illustrated  Journal  devoted  to  Forestry,  Volume  I,  No.  4. 
The  size  of  the  page  and  the  title  were  changed  with  \\)lume 
III,  No.  3,  March,  1897  :  The  Forester,  an  Illustrated 
Monthly  Jou^Tial  of  Forestry,  devoted  to  the  Conservation 
of  Forests,  the  Proper  Utilization  of  Forest  Products,  the 
Forestation  of  Waste  Lands,  and  the  Preservation  of  Game. 
Published  at  Camden;  John  Gifford,  editor  and  jaihlislicr, 
Princeton,  N.  J.  With  Volume  IV,  the  cover  and  the  title 
were  again  changed  to  read:  The  Forester,  a  monthly 
magazine,  devoted  to  the  care  and  use  of  forests  and  forest 
trees,    and    related    subjects.     Published    monthly    by    the 


428  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

American   Forestry  Association,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  run- 
ning to  June,  1899,  Volume  V,  No.  6. 

16.  Transactions  and  Proceedings  of  the  Botanical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania.  Session  1897-1898,  published  1899. 
This  publication,  Volume  I,  No.  1, 1898,  is  a  reprint  of  Volume 
II,  No.  1,  Contributions  from  the  Botanical  Laboratory  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  contains  pages  111- 
123,  inclusive,  the  Proceedings  of  the  Botanical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  for  Session  1897-1898. 

17.  Philadelphia  Mycological  Center  Bulletin.  This 
publication  is  issued  by  those  interested  in  the  fleshy  fungi, 
especially  the  edible  kinds.  The  author  has  seen  only  two 
Bulletins  and  the  preliminary  announcements. 

18.  Monographs  of  the  Philadelphia  Commercial 
Museums.     Three  of  these  have  been  issued  as  follows  : 

"The  Republic  of  Guatemala."  By  Gustav  Neiderleiu,  Phila- 
delphia, 1898. 

"The  State  of  Nicaragua  of  the  Greater  Republic  of  Central  America." 
By  Gustav  Neiderlein. 

"  The  Republic  of  Costa  Rica."     By  Gustav  Neiderlein. 

19.  In  connection  with  the  Philadelphia  Commercial 
Museums,  and  under  the  auspices  of  that  institution  and  the 
Franklin  Institute,  the  following  publication  is  issued : 
Bulletin  of  the  National  Export  Exposition,  Volume  I, 
Number  1,  which  appeared  May  18,  1899,  running  to  date. 
The  cover  gives  a  portrait  of  those  prominently  identified 
with  the  movement,  and  numerous  illustrations  give  an 
adequate  conception  to  the  reader  of  the  buildings  under 
construction,  of  the  plans  and  the  architectural  appearance 
of   the   Exposition  buildings  when  finally  completed. 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    I'l  1 1 1.  A  I  )i;i.ri  1 1  A.  -l'J'.> 

appendix  v. 

Horticultural   Hall, 

Fairmount   Park. 

A  history  of  the  botanists  of  rhikKk-lphia  would  not 
be  complete  without  an  account  of  the  horticuUural  build- 
incr  erected  in  Fairmount  Park  for  the  Centennial  Exi)osi- 
tion  of  187(3.  Without  doubt,  tlie  liorticultural,  botanical, 
forestal  and  floral  exhibits  at  the  Pkiladelpkia  Centennial 
Exposition  stimulated  the  scientific  interests  of  tku  country 
and  also  the  horticultural,  lumber  and  florist  industries 
estabhshed  in  the  United  States.  The  horticultural  build- 
ing erected  then,  still  stands,  and  is,  in  itself,  a  great 
botanical  institution,  supported  by  the  City  of  Pkiladelpkia. 
A  sketck  of  tke  structure,  written  for  tke  "Historical 
Register  of  tke  Centennial  Exposition,*  will  give  a  better 
idea  of  its  arrangement  and  size. 

"  It  is  located  on  tke  Lansdowne  Terrace,  a  skort 
distance  nortli  of  tke  Art  Gallery,  and  kas,  like  tke  kUter,  a 
commanding  view  of  tke  Sckuylkill  Piver,  and  a  portion  of 
tke  city.  Tke  design  is  m  tke  Mauresque  style  of  arcki- 
tecture  of  tke  twelftk  century,  tke  principal  materials, 
externally,  being  iron  and  glass.  Tke  lengtk  is  383  feet, 
tke  widtk,  193  feet,  and  tke  keigkt  to  tke  top  of  [hv  lantern 

seventy-two  feet.f 

"  Tke  main  floor  is  occupied  by  tke  central  conservatory, 
230  X  80  feet,  and  fifty-five  feet  kigk,  surmounted  by  tke 
lantern,  170  feet  long,  twenty  feet  wide,  an<l  fourteen  feet 

*1876  Frank  Leslie's  Historical  liegistern/ the  Inited  iitates  Ccntennud 
Expedition,  1876.    Edited  by  Frank  II.  Mortou,  New  Vork,  1S77.  lolio  pp.  oli. 

t  A  number  of  years  ago  this  lantern  was  removed,  au.l  the  entire  root 
arched  over  with  ghiss  lights  for  the  better  growth  of  the  plants. 


430  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

higli.  Pamning  entirely  around  tliis  conservatory,  at  a 
height  of  twenty  feet,  is  a  gallery  five  feet  in  width.  On 
the  north  and  south  sides  are  four  forcing-houses.  Each 
house  is  100  x  30  feet,  and  covered  with  a  curved  roof  of 
iron  and  glass.  From  the  vestibules,  at  the  centre  of  the 
east  and  west  ends,  ornamental  stairways  lead  to  the 
internal  galleries  of  the  conservatory,  as  well  as  to  the  four 
external  galleries,  each  100  x  80  feet,  which  surmount  the 
roofs  of  the  forcing-houses.  These  external  galleries  are 
connected  by  a  fine  promenade,  formed  by  the  roofs  of  the 
rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  and  having  a  superficial  area  of 
1800  square  yards.  The  east  and  west  entrances  are 
reached  by  flights  of  IdIuc  marble  steps,  from  terraces 
80  x  20  feet.  This  building  cost  8251,937."  At  the  four 
corners  of  this  building  were  situated,  in  1876,  four  large 
rooms.  The  two  eastern  rooms  have  been  converted  into  a 
temperate  house  by  the  removal  of  the  outer  wood-work  and 
the  substitution  of  glass.  Of  the  two  western  rooms,  one 
is  used  as  an  office,  the  other  as  a  museum,  which  is  never 
opened  to  the  public.  On  the  terrace  to  the  north  is  found 
the  lily-pond ;  to  the  south  a  range  of  greenhouses  and 
propagating  frames,  and  to  the  west  the  celebrated  sunken 
garden.  The  main  propagating  greenhouses  and  frames 
are  removed  from  the  hall  a  considerable  distance  toward 
the  north-east.  According  to  the  "  Official  Catalogue,"  * 
the  architect  of  this  building  was  H.  J.  Schwarzman  ;  the 
contractor,  John  Rice,  of  Philadelphia ;  the  wrought  iron 
being  furnished  by  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company,  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania ;  the  cast  iron  by  Samuel  J.  Cresswell, 


*  International  Exhibition,  1876,  Official  Catalogue,  Complete  in  One  Volume. 
Philadelphia,  1876. 


THE    BOTANISTS   OF    PHILADKLPJIIA.  431 

Philadelphia;  the  painting  was  (lone  l,y  Joscjili  Cliapiuan, 
Philadelphia,  and  the  masonry,  l)y  Moore  iSc  Scattergood.* 

Surrounding  the  horticultural  l.uilding  is  an  extensive 
arboretum  of  many  noteworthy  trees.  Gordonia  puhescetts 
is  one  of  the  rarest  and  most  interesting  specimens  found 
here.  Many  of  the  old  forest  trees  still  remain  to  give 
vigor  to  the  landscape.  Japanese  cut-leave.l  maj.les, 
oriental  plants  and  exotic  shru])s,  make  the  place  an 
attractive  and  profitable  one  for  the  botanist  to  visit.  The 
ornamental  grass  bed,  the  cactus  beds,  the  flower  borders 
and  lily  tank,  display  a  large  series  of  interesting  plant 
forms.  The  lotus  pond,  along  the  principal  drivewav.  and 
the  rhododendron  thickets,  add  to  the  landscape  effects  pro- 
duced by  judicious  planting,  f 


APPENDIX  VI. 

A  Short  Sketch  of  Philadelphia  Trees 

noted  for  their 

Historical  or  Botanical  Interest. 


The  North  Brook  Chestnut  Tire.  This  tree  at  North 
Brook,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  is  on  the  property  of 
Mr.  Abraham  Marshall  (Forest  Leaves.  II,  j).  o."),  with  illus- 
tration). At  three  feet  above  the  ground  it  was  twenty-live 
feet  and  two  inches  in  girth  when  measured  on  Januarv 
1, 1889. 

*  See  for  account  of   Centennial   Conservatory    IVie     G'(irdencr.s'     Monthly 
(Meehan's)  XVH,  p.  93  (1875). 
t  See  page  33. 


432  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Original  Penn  Treaty  Elm.  On  the  Delaware  River,  at 
Shackamaxoii  Street.  It  measured  twenty-four  feet  around 
the  base,  and  one  branch  extending  toward  the  Delaware 
River  was  150  feet  long.  It  blew  down  in  March  3,  1810, 
and  by  count  its  age  was  found  to  be  283  years. 

Pennsylvania  HospitaVs  Descendant  of  the  Penn  Treaty 
Elm.  This  tree  is  found  on  the  grounds  of  the  Hospital. 
The  minutes  of  the  Hospital,  dated  3  mo.  26,  1810,  state 
that  "  A  scion  from  the  root  of  a  tree  called  the  Great  Elm 
of  Kensington,  said  to  have  been  the  same  tree  under  which 
William  Penn,  the  proprietor  of  Pennsylvania,  held  the 
first  treaty  with  the  Indians,  w^as  presented  by  Matthew 
Vanduzen,  and  planted  by  Peter  Brown,  Esq.,  near  the 
centre  of  the  western-most  lot  belonging  to  the  Hospital,  for 
which  Peter  Brown  is  requested  to  return  to  Matthew 
Vanduzen  the  thanks  of  the  managers  and  to  procure  a  box 
to  defend  it  from  injury.  The  parent  tree  was  blown  down 
in  a  late  storm." 

General  Oliver^ s  Descendant  of  the  Treaty  Elm.  A  shoot 
from  the  roots  of  the  old  tree  which  blew  down  in  1810  was 
carried  to  and  planted  on  the  Oliver  estate,  at  Bay  Ridge, 
Xew  York,  where  it  grew  for  more  than  fifty  years,  until  it 
was  dug  up  and  removed  to  Oliver's  Mills,  on  the  moun- 
tains near  Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania  {Forest  Leaves,  III, 
pp.  124  and  149,  with  illustrations).* 

The  University  of  Pennsylvania's  Descendant.  A  shoot 
from  the  Oliver  tree  at  Wilkes-Barre  was  obtained  and 
planted  in  front  of  the  main  college  building  of  the  Uni- 
versity, on  Arbor  Day,  April  10,  1896. 

*  Two  other  descendants  are  known— one  in  Cooper  Square,  Camden  ;  one  in 
theyardof  the  Friends' Meeting  on  Twelfth  Street.  See  an  interesting  article  by 
Ethel  Austin  Shrigley,  of  Lansdowne  {Forest  Leaves,  VII,  p.  42). 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHI  LADKIJ'J  1 1  A.  433 

The  Dundas  Elm.  Tlie  finest  tree  in  tin-  ("ilv  of  IMiila- 
delphia,  at  Broad  and  AValnut  Streets,  wliieli  is  variously 
estimated  from  150  to  400  years  of  age.  It  was  once  a  )<art 
of  the  Vauxhall  gardens.  On  September  S,  1S1!I,  wlu-n  a 
mob,  incensed  at  the  failure  of  an  announced  l)all<)on 
ascension,  set  fire  to  the  garden,  the  flames  sprc-id  to  the 
branches  of  the  tree  several  times,  but  wci-c  prnnipily 
extinguished  by  the  firemen.  For  an  illustration  of  tlii.s 
tree  see  Forest  Leaves,  IV,  p.  130. 

Bartram  Cypress.  This  tree  (see  ante,  page  <;.'))  still 
standing,  although  dead,  is  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and  was 
planted  about  1769.  (Forest  Leaves,  V,  p.  120,  for  full-page 
illustration.) 

The  Rodman  Bidtonivood  Tree.  Standing  at  a  place 
called  Flushing,  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
Newportville  Road,  about  one  half-mile  from  Newport ville, 
and  about  two  miles  from  Croydon  Station,  Pennsylvania 
Railroad.  Planted  about  1745  by  William  Rodman.  The 
tree  measures  twenty -nine  feet  six  inches  at  a  point  two  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  twenty-eight  feet,  four  inches  in  cir- 
cumference at  a  point  six  feet  from  the  ground.  It  ajipears 
to  be  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation  (Forest  Leaves, 
VI,  p.  12). 

Trees  in  Bartram^s  Garden.  See  description  of  the 
garden  under  the  biographical  sketch  of  John  Bartram,  tor 
the  Petre  Pear  Tree,  Christ's  Thorn,  Smyrna  Box-woo(l. 
Turkey  Box-wood,  Bartram  Oak,  Silver  Maple  luirojK-an 
Cornel  (Cornvs  mas),  Papaw-tree.  Yellow-wood  {]lrgilia 
lutea);  a  tree  of  extremely  large  size,  and  perfectly  healthy, 
growing  near  the  Bartram  house. 

DeHart's   Gordonia  puhescens.     ( Jn    Woodland    Avenue, 


434  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

opposite  to  the  entrance  to  Bartram's  garden,  is  a  plain 
brick  building,  covered  with  ivv.  In  the  garden  of  the 
owner,  William  DeHart,  near  the  rear  end  on  a  plot  of 
ground,  sloping  to  the  north,  is  a  fine  tree  of  Gordonia 
pubescens,  a  descendant  of  one  previously  in  existence  in 
Bartram's  garden.  Another  descendant  is  found  in  Fair- 
mount  Park,  along  the  south  driveway  near  the  Horti- 
cultural Hall,  also  of  good  size. 

The  Michaux  Grove.  One-half  of  the  money  left  to  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  in  1825,  by  jNIichaux,  the 
French  botanist,  was  given  to  the  Fairmount  Park  xlssocia- 
tion.  A  grove  called  the  Michaux  Grove  has  been  begun  in 
AVest  Park,  near  Horticultural  Hall.  It  is  to  consist  of  two 
specimens  of  every  oak  suited  to  the  climate. 

TJie  Woodland  Ginkgo  Tree.  In  "  Downing's  Landscape 
Gardening  "  (7th  edition,  1865,  p.  26),  the  following  occurs : 
"  The  attention  of  the  visitor  to  this  place  is  now  arrested 
by  two  ver}^  large  specimens  of  that  curious  tree,  the 
Japanese  Ginkgo  (Salisburia),  sixty  or  seventy  feet  high, 
perhaps,  the  finest  in  Europe  or  America."  It  was  intro- 
duced by  William  Hamilton,  the  owner  of  Woodlands, 
from  England,  in  17S4.  It  is  a  male  tree.  It  is  still 
regarded  as  one  of  Philadelphia's  arboreal  treasures,  and 
tree  lovers  from  distant  parts  of  the  globe,  when  in  the  city, 
journey  to  the  cemetery  to  see  the  magnificent  specimen. 

Zelkova  crenata.  Mr.  William  Hamilton,  who  lived  at 
Woodlands,  planted  many  exotics  for  the  first  time  in 
America,  and  his  garden  was  one  of  the  most  famous  estab- 
lishments of  the  kind  in  America.  Among  other  trees  he 
introduced  the  Lombardy  Poplar  and  the  Norway  Maple 
into  this  country.     AVoodlands  was  long  ago  converted  into 


THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPIIIA.  435 

a  cemetery,  and  many  of  Ilainiltoirs  Iih-cs  have  thus  Ijucn 
spared.  The  most  conspicuous  an<l  intcivsting  of  those  now 
are  four  plants  of  the  Caucasian  Zelkovn  crendtti,  ahout  four 
feet  in  diameter,  prohably  the  largest  specimens  of  this 
interesting  tree  in  America.  Zelkova,  wliicli  Ix-lonufs  t(»  the 
Elm  family,  consists  of  two  species,  one  of  the  type  of  th<- 
genus  Zelkova  cre?i«i«,  being  found  only  in  the  ( 'aucasus. 
while  the  other  species,  Zelkova  Keaki,  is.contini^Ml  t<.  Jaj.an.* 

Blimston  Oak.  Situated  a  short  distance  over  the  city 
line  in  Darby.  This  tree  has  served  for  generations  as  a 
landmark  for  surveyors.  It  was  mentioned  in  a  dccil  of 
1683  as  an  ancient  tree,  and  yet  it  is  still  in  a  hi xu riant 
condition. 

The  Original  Seckel  Pear  Tree.  The  original  Seckel 
Pear  Tree  w^as  standing  (August  31, 1880)  in  the  Twenty- 
sixth  Ward  of  Philadelphia,  near  Girard  Point,  on  the 
farm  of  John  Bastian.  It  takes  its  name  from  Lawrence 
(Laurence?)  Seckel,  a  former  owner,  who  first  introduced  it 
to  public  notice,  upon  coming  into  possession  of  the  farm. 
A  reference  to  the  tree  will  be  found  in  AVatson's  "  Annals 
of  Philadelphia  and  Pennsylvania  "  (Vol.  II,  p.  487),  also 
The  Gardeners'  Monthly,  of  February,  1805,  and  September, 
1880,  with  illustration. 

The  Robert  Morris  Sago  Palm.  This  tree,  growing  in 
Horticultural  Hall,  Fairmount  Park,  was  presented  to  tlie 
Centennial  Exhibition  of  1876.  The  following  \i\\n-\ 
attached  to  it  tells  its  history:  "1776,  Cycas  revoluta,  owm-d 
by  Robert  Morris,  of  Philadelphia,  before  and  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  presented  by  Jacol)  Holl'ner.  of  (  nu-in- 
nati,  1876." 

*  Garden  and  Forest,  X,  p.  JS'^. 


436  THE    BOTANISTS    OF    PHILADELPHIA. 

Meng^s  Magnolia  macrophylla.  This  tree,  undoubtedly 
the  earliest  cultivated  one  of  this  species,  was  brought  to 
the  property  of  Mr.  Meng,  a  wealthy  Philadelphia  banker 
(now  Vernon  Park),  by  Matthias  Kin,  the  noted  collector. 

Vernon  Park  Papaw  Trees.  They  are  forty  feet  tall, 
with  trunks  ten  or  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  with 
broad  pyramidal  heads  of  dark  foliage. 

TJie  Germantown  Yellow-ivood  {Cladrastris  flava).  The 
first  Virgilia  planted  in  the  United  States,  standing  by  the 
fence  of  the  Germantown  Cricket  Club. 

NuttalVs  Pecan  Tree.  An  old  pecan  tree,  one  of  the 
most  famous  in  the  city,  stood,  until  recently,  on  the 
grounds  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  Germantown  and  High 
Streets.  The  seed  was  carried  by  Nuttall,  the  botanist, 
from  Arkansas. 

If  space  would  permit,  an  account  could  be  given  of 
the  traditional  trees  and  the  stories  connected  therewith.* 

Many  of  the  old  landmarks,  familiar  to  persons  living 
in  the  city  one  hundred  years  ago,  have  been  removed,  and 
all  traces  of  them  lost  through  the  growth  of  the  city 
and  the  modern  improvements  substituted  for  the  things  of 
old.  There  are  many  fine  private  country  places  in  and 
near  Philadelphia,  kept  up  at  great  expense  by  their 
owners.  Rare  and  costly  shrubs  and  trees  have  been 
planted,  and  greenhouses  have  been  erected,  to  contain  the 
rare  and  interesting  exotics  imported  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  A  book  could  easily  be  written  descriptive  of  the 
botanical  and  horticultural  aspects  of  these'rural  demesnes, 
but  space,  and  the  difficulty  of  exploration,  forbid  even 
a  brief  mention  of  the  most  noteworthy  of  these  places. 

*  Throughout  this  book  reference  is  made  to  the  introduction  and  cultivation 
of  many  plants  and  trees.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  text,  Illustrations  and  foot- 
notes, also  to  Forest  Leaves,  VII,  p.  42,  article  by  Ethel  Austin  Shrigley. 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 

For  the  names  of  botanists  included  in  the  (itneral  List  HKitjeH  Wi  to  ilf) 
and  the  names  of  persons  given  in  Appendices  I  and  II  {payes  iUi  to  HI  inclu- 
sive), the  reader  is  referred  to  the  above  pa<ns  of  this  book.    A  descriptive  account 

of  the  illustrations  is  given  i/i  the  fore  part  of  this  unrh. 


Aaron's  Prong,  (ihost  of,  314. 

Abies  amabilis,  2Si» ;  ApoUinis,  '2<10  ;  ceph- 
alonica,  2!t0;  cilicia,  2;t0;  concolor, 
289:  lasiocarpa,  289;  Lowiana,  2S'.t ; 
Xordmanniana,  289  ;  Parsonsiana,  2S9. 

Abolition  of  Faculty  of  Natural  History, 
14. 

Acacia  .Tulibrissin,  70. 

Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Phila.,  97  : 
herbarium  of,  23  etseq.;  foundation. 
23;  Journal  of,  423;  location  of,  188; 
Proceedings  of  the,  423. 

Account  of  Bartram's  library,  71. 

Acer  leucoderme,  385 ;  macrophvllum, 
256. 

Acorns  of  mossy-cup  oak,  :>19. 

Acorus  Calamus,  19. 

Action  of  Aniline  Dyes  on  Vegetable 
Tissues,  371. 

Additions  to  our  Native  Flora,  242. 

Adlumia,  147. 

Adulteration  of  Drugs  and  Chemical  Pre- 
parations, On  the,  277. 

Adulterations  of  Elm  Bark,  378. 

Aerating  ( )rgans  of  Swamp  Plants,  339. 

Aesculus  HipiMioastanum,  (iti. 

Agassiz,  Professor  L.  and  Penikese,  304. 

Agricultural  Botany,  Darlington's,  140. 

Aitcheson,  Major  J.  E.  T  ,  28. 

Alton,  William.  9(3. 

Alaska,  Flora  of,  :510. 

Alaska  Lichens,  310. 

Alaskan  plants,  29. 

Albertini.  .1.  B.  d',  128. 

Alectoria  Cetrariza,  357. 

Alexiowitz,  Ivvan,  story  by,  59. 

Algerian  plants,  25. 

Alleghany  River,  54. 

Alluvium.  2. 

Almonds  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Aloes,  21. 

Alpine  flora  of  Switzerland  studied,  :o9t). 

Alstrit-meria  fecula.  207. 

Alterations  by  Kastwick,r)l. 

Alumni  Report,  Phihidelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy,  account  of.  424. 

Algpe,  freshwater,  222  :  of  the  New  Jersey 
coast,  ■.123  :  Prodromus  of  Freshwater, 
•611 ;  study  of,  411. 

Amanitine,  31.5. 

American  Birds,  List  of,  87. 

American  forestry  exliibit,  37. 

American  Gardener's  Calendar.  The,  lis. 

American  Gardener,  .MMalion's,  is;;. 

American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.  "23  ;  edi- 
torship of,  27(5 :  accoiuit  of,  424. 

American  Naturalist,  The,  42.5. 


American  Ornithologj',  The,  87. 

American  I'hilosophical  Societv.  27.  10, 90, 
94.  95,  9(;.  97.  lU-S  ;    Prctceediligs  of.  422. 

American  Wt-eds.  Two  Centurifs  of.  2".il. 

Ami)liicarpa'a  inonoica,  Life  History  of, 
41:',. 

Analytical  Chemistry,  Hand-book  of,  'MA. 

Anatomy,  Elements  of.  :i54. 

Anatomy,  a  special  department  of  bot- 
any, :U5. 

Anders,  J.  M.,  biography  of,  :i50. 

Anderson.  V.  W.,  2t;ti. 

Androeium  of  the  Fumariacete,  310. 

Andropoy:on,  Notes  on,  :V»0. 

Anemone  of  the  Section  Pulsatilla.  I'W. 

Aniline  Dyes.  Action  of,  :!71. 

Animal  temperatures.  es.say  on,  20>). 

Animal  and  Plants,  (ieographical  Distri- 
bution of.  192. 

Angelica  dicliotoma,  2ls. 

Annual  Fruited  Oaks.  2;>5. 

Antidote  of  .\manitin,  315. 

Antidromv.  Internal  ;  Observations  on, 
294. 

Ants.  Chapters  on,  :^01. 

Apgar.  Austin  Craig,  biography  <if,  :ujl. 

Aphyllon  uniflorum.  Paper  on,  414. 

Aporvnareii-  in  Materia  Medica,  378. 

Ai>pendifes,  41(i-l;M;. 

Apples  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Apricots  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Appropriations  by  Congress,  :^9. 

Arachis  hypogrea.  :^9S. 

Arbeit  of  Professtir  Kraemer.  :>*<9. 

Arboretum  of  J.  K.  Eslilemann.  2(is  :  of 
the  Jacksons.  40s ;  of  the  Painter 
brothers.  1S5;  of  the  Peirce  brotiiers, 
410;  of  the  Cniversity  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 18  ;  Arnold.  391. 

Arbor  Vita-,  2.5(;. 

Arbusttnn  Americanum.  7,  8i).  98,  120. 

Arbustrum  Americanum  (see  ante  i. 

Aristol,  Nature  of,  :i77. 

Arizona  Potato,  The,  31(,t. 

Arizona  )»lants.  2^2. 

ArkansasTerritory,  Travels  in.  1.59. 

Arnold  .Vrboretmii.  391. 

Arrangement  of  Lewis  and  Clark  expe- 
dition, lis. 

Artemisia  Rothrockii.  :W«). 

Articles  by  l>uraniL  175  ;  Ra(ineS(|ue,  148; 
Solomon  Conrad,  VM  ;  Mrs.  Treat.  :iOL 

Arthur.  Prof.  J.  ('..  4UI. 

.\s!irum  Canadense.  2is.  :^90  ;  structure  of. 

Ascent  of  Motint  Washington,  19. 
Asclepiadaceie.  Genus  of,  30i». 


439 


440 


INDEX. 


Ascomycetes.  Rehm's,  270. 

Asimina  triloba,  Cultivation  of,  60. 

Ash,  Tiie  White,  :U1. 

Ashmead  collection  of  marine  algae,  25. 

Aspidium  aculeatum,  218;  Lonehitis,  218. 

Asplenium  Bradleyi,  388  ;  ebenoides,  218. 

Aster  cordifolius,  242;  Torreyi,  242. 

Asterina,  Synopsis  of,  24S. 

Astragalus  mollissimus,  242. 

Astronomic  work  of  Jacob  Ennis,  198. 

Atlantic  City  Diatoms,  352. 

Atlantic  Ocean,  4. 

Atlas  of  the  United  States,  239. 

Attractiveness  of  the  Philadelphia  Dis- 
trict, 4. 

Andibertia  Vaseyi,  242. 

Austin,  Col.  F..  25;  Collections  of,  326. 

Austin,  Mrs.,  Collections  of,  282. 

Australian  fungi,  267;  palm,  33;  plants, 
28;  29. 

Autobiographical  Notes  of  Ezra  Miche- 
ner,  17S. 

Auxiliary  Faculty  of  Medicine,  endow- 
ment of,  15, 182. 

Azalea  calendulacea,  87 ;  lutea,  384 ; 
white,  20. 


Babbington,  Prof.  C.  C,  249. 

Jiache,  Franklin,  iiiographical  Memoir 
of,  182. 

Bachelor's  Hall,  a  poem,  43. 

Bacteriological  papers,  412. 

Bahamas  and  Jamaica,  Observations  on, 
312. 

Bahama  Plants,  372. 

Bailey,  Prof.  L.  H.,  404;  letter  from,  67. 

Bald  Cypress,  Studies  on,  338. 

Baldwin,  Dr.  William,  24,  219  ;  biography 
of,  119  ;  papers  of,  124;  travels  of,  122, 
123. 

Balfour,  John  Hutton,  367. 

Balfour,  Prof.,  368. 

Ballast  plants,  211,  220,  328  :  at  South 
Bethlehem,  243. 

Balsam  of  Peru,  208. 

Bambusa  Stems  and  Incandescent  Light- 
ing, 340. 

Banks'  herbarium,  116. 

Bunks,  Sir  Joseph,  102 ;  correspondence 
with  Moses  Marshall,  101. 

Barbadoes,  History  of,  190. 

Barton,  Dr.  Benj.'s.,  160;  biography  of, 
108  ;  book  of,  7  ;  botanical  teaching 
of,  12  ;  portrait  of,  lOS  ;  and  Nuttall, 
112,  152;  patron  of  Pursh,  114. 

Barton's  Elements  of  Botany,  87. 

Barton,  W.  P.  C,  4;  biography  of,  159; 
book  of,  8. 

Barton,  Prof.,  in  1822,  14. 

Bartonian  Collection  catalogued,  330. 

Bartram,  John,  4,  5,  7,  86,  141,  171,  285; 
biography  of,  46  et  seq.;  letter  from, 
44 ;  Botanic  Garden,  169,  194 ;  ap- 
pointed King's  botanist,  53;  book  of, 
54 ;  creed  of,  57  ;  library  of,  71. 

Bartram's  Garden,  250,  251,  349 ;  bought, 
2.53;  described,  63  ;  purchase  by  Phil- 
adelphia, 74:  visit  of  Pennsylvania 
Horticultural  Society  to,  88. 

Bartram  Park,  40. 

Bartram  :  coat  of  arms,  60  ;  cypress,  433 
house  built,  .51 ;  house  described,  61 
and  Linnaeus,  r^i ;  and  Logan,  50 
oak,  68, 433  :  oak,  notes  on,  323  ;  room 
62;  woodshed,  63. 


Bartram's  Preface  to  Medicina  Britan- 
nica,  .50. 

Bartram's  slave,  Harvey,  68;  travels,  54; 
treatment  of  servants,  50. 

Bartram,  Ann,  married  to  Col.  Carr,  69. 

Bartram,  William,  153  ;  biography  of,  86  ; 
elected  professor  in  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  S6  ;  travels  of,  7,  86. 

Basidiomycetes,  293. 

Bastin,  Edson  S.,  23,  389  ;  biography  of, 
330. 

Bay  window  in  Marshall's  house,  85. 

Bean,  Dr.  T.  H.,  collection  of  lichens, 
310. 

Bechdolt,  Robert  G.,  biography  of,  346; 
travels  of,  348. 

Beech,  The,  311,  236. 

Beetles'  work  on  Lewis  and  Clark  plants, 
28. 

Belsatter,  Dr.  Thomas,  249. 

Benjamin  Franklin  and  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  12. 

Bentham,  George,  24. 

Benzin,  Purification  of,  377. 

Berberis,  The  Colorado,  310. 

Beringer,  George  M.,  biography  of,  377 ; 
and  herbarium  fund,  30. 

Berlin,  Botanical  Museum,  29. 

Berlin,  laboratories  in,  395. 

Bernhardi,  24. 

Bessey,  Professor  Charles  E.,  359. 

Bibliography  of  Joseph  Carson,  206 ; 
Frank  Lamson-Scribner.  360  ;  George 
.Martin,  248;  Nuttall,  15s,  iry.i  ;  Thomas 
C.  Porter,  241;  John  H.  Kedfield,  217: 
Rev.  Francis  Wolle,  223 ;  J.  T.  Roth- 
rock,  :310;  W.  P.  Wilson,  :«8 ;  C.  H. 
Kain,  ;^52 :  E.  A.  Ran,  :>52 ;  Henry 
Trimble,  :^65  ;  J.  M.  Macfarlane,  371 ; 
Ida  A.  Keller,  381:  A.  A.  Heller,  388: 
Henry  Kraemer,  390 :  J.  W.  Harsh- 
berger,  396. 

Biddulphoid  Forms  of  Diatoms,  374. 
!   Big  cypress,  65. 

Bigelow's  Medical  Botany.  94. 

Big  tree,  180  ;  California,  Names  of,  398. 

Bilgram,  Hugo,  biography  of,  34.5. 

Binomial  system  of  nomenclature,  6. 

Biological "  and  Microscopical  Section 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
founded,  2.57. 

Biological  School,  11 ;  Sketch  of,  12. 

Birch,  black,  :312;  river,  311  ;  white,  20; 
yellow,  312. 

Birds  of  America,  List  of,  87. 

Black  rot,  361. 

Blanc's  farm,  40. 

Blephilia,  147. 

Blue  Ridge,  1,  3. 

Blunston  Oak,  4:55. 

Bodley.  Rachel  L.,  biography  of,  283. 

Bog  garden,  19. 

Boisser,  collections  of,  28. 

Bonn,  laboratory  at,  395. 

Bonpland  Aime,  97. 

Book  of  Evergreens,  286. 

Booth's  Laboratory,  258. 

Boroglyceride,  377. 

Borraginacese,  24. 

Botanic  Garden  of  University,  113 ;  in- 
ception of,  17;  established,  370;  de- 
scription of,  17  et  seq. 

Botanic  Garden  at  Marshallton,  82. 

Botanic  Station,  Tropical  Mexican,  398. 

Botanical  Check  List,  242. 

Botanical  Gardens,  Value  of,  372. 


iM»i;x. 


141 


Botanical  Club  of  l'hila(k-li)liiu,  organ- 
ized, 121)7:  nientioneil,  :;u. 

Botanical  Explorations  in  Southern 
Texas  during  the  Season  of  lS9l,  W»\. 

Botanical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  or- 
ganized, :'.71 ;  description  of,  22; 
Transactions  and  Proceedings  of. 
42S. 

Botanical  trips  of  A.  A.  Heller,  :iS4,  liS") 
et  se(i. 

Botanist  of  Peary  Expedition,  807. 

Botanists,  (leneral  List  of,  101. 

Botany  at  College  of  Pharmacy,  23. 

Botany,  Elements  of,  :>:V1. 

Botany.  Foreign  and  Home  Teaching  of, 
310. 

Botany.  Stimulus  of.  l'\ 

Bouud'ary  of  Venezuela  and  (;uiana,  luo. 

Boxes  for  fungi,  2(i7. 

Boxwood,  (i8. 

Boyer,  Charles  S..  biography  of,  372. 

Bradbury,  .lohn,  l.')3. 

Brandywine  Banks.  311. 

Brandywiue  Creek,  2;  region,  2. 

Braseiila  peltata,  <;iandu!ar  Hairs  of,  382. 

Breathing  organs  of  bald  cypress.  3:-58. 

Breintnall,  .Joseph,  "d. 

Bridges,  Robert,  25  ;  biography  of,  iy5  ; 
oil  painting  of.  19."i. 

Briosi,  Giovanni,  270. 

Brinton,  Dr.  .1.  Bernard,  30,  3.'i9,  376,  400; 
biography  of,  2l)  1 :  death  of,  319. 

British  Empire  in  India,  History  of,  1S2. 

Britton.  Dr.  N.  L.,  2311.  327,  :;.V.),  :383,  3So. 

Britton  it  Brown's  lllustrate<l  Flora,  M7. 

Bromfield,  W.  J.  {?),  IM. 

Bromoform,  377. 

Bromus  Kalmii,  841. 

Broomfield,  Dr.,  249. 

Brown,  Peter,  Ii;sq.,4:52. 

Browne,  Robert  H.,  Obituary  Notice  of, 
218. 

Brown  rot,  361. 

Brown.  Stewardson,  2.') :  and  herbarium 
fund,  :30. 

Brunella  vulgaris,  A  Nascent  Varietv  of, 
312. 

Brvarium,  The.  20. 

Buekhout,  Professor  of  State  College.  261. 

Bucks  County,  Catalogue.  341 ;  plants,  340. 

Buist,  Robert,  biography  of,  193:  and 
Bartram's  Garden,  72 ;  and  Thomas 
^feehan,  250;  farm  of,  40. 

Bulletin  National  Export  Exposition, 
account  of.  42S. 

Bunge's  collections,  2S1. 

Bunting,  Dr.  Martha,  sketch  of,  405. 

Burdock  Fruit,  Hitter  Principles  of,  365. 

Bureau  of  Education,  Circular  of  Infor- 
mation, 12. 

Bureau  of  Information,  Commercial 
Museums.  3S. 

Burial  (iround,  Warmer,  46. 

Burk,  Charles. 

Burk,  Isaac,  25,  211,  :359  :  plants  from,  16  ; 
biography  of,  220;  herbarium  of,  220. 

Burk,  Rev.  Jesse  Y.,  221. 

Burk.  Dr.  William  H.,  221. 

Buri>ee's  farm,  40. 

Itush  lioncy-suckles,  53. 

Buttoinvood.  A  Kare,  312. 

Buttonwood  Tree,  The  Rodman,  433. 


Cabinet  of  Sciences,  Chester  County,  9 ; 
letter  from,  13. 


Cacao,  SUirches  in.  SM. 

Calavera.s  Hlg-irin-  Grove.  :VX>. 

California:  Nutmeg,  2i)7  ;  plant!:,  29 ;  soap 
plant,  -.UU; :  travels  in.  :595. 

Calisava  Hark.  207. 

Calkin's.  Cul.  W.   W.,  2(;<;. 

Call.  Kiclmrd  Ellsworth,  book  by.  IH. 

Callilriche  dellc.xa  var  Anstiiii.  :H1. 
I   Cambium,    Internal,  of  (Jelsi-iniuui.  312. 
'    Cambrjilgf  Mutanical  Garden.  1o;',. 
I    Cambridge,  seeds  from.  1>. 

Campanulacea',  new  plants  of  l.')9. 
!    Camellias  at  Bartram's,  70. 
i    Camellia  houses.  ]'X'.. 

Camellia  Landrethii.  19:5. 

Camerarius,  .(acob.  5. 

Canailian  .Mos.ses.  272. 

Canaigre,  :{66. 

Canl)y.  Wm.  M..  16,  26,  29.  2'.K».  327 ;  bio- 
graphy of.  27^:  herbarium  of.  279: 
travels  of.  2so. 

Cape  Henlojien.  1. 

Cape  May.  1. 

Carboniferous  Flora  of  the  l".  S..  317. 

Carburetted  Hyilrogenaml  Exotic  Plants, 
i  245. 

Card  Index  of  Ellis's  fungi.  '271. 

Carex  torta.  :M1. 

Carex,  American  Si>ecies  of.  131. 

Carices,  Monograph  of,  1:!1 ;  of  Penna.. 
I  List  of, '241. 

I   Carpenter,  William  C.  'Jic. 

Carr.  Col.  Robert,  69,  87,  88,  153 ;  nursery 
of,  70. 

Carson,  Dr.  .Joseph,  25  ;    biography    of. 
199;  bibliography  of,  '206;  death   of. 
318. 
t    Carson,  Hampton  L..  202. 

Carum  Gainineri.  ^M'<('>. 

Carya  toiiieniosa.  :;12. 

Castanea  Americana.  Sex>ial  Variations 
in,  :;2:',. 

Castanea  immila,  :'.90. 

Catalogue  of  Plants  at  Bartram  Garden, 
!  fi7. 

Catalogue  of  Plants  of  Delaware  County, 
Pa..  189.  • 

Catalogue  of  Plants  collected  by  .<ay.  l:iO. 
'  Catalogus  Plantarum  Americjv  Sep- 
j  tentrionalis.  7.  95. 

'   Catechu,  :'.65. 

Catesby's  herl)ariuni.  lh>. 
'    Cat-fish,  1. 

Cavara.  Fridiano.  '270:  Fungi  Lango- 
bardi;e  Exsiccati.  '270. 

Cedar  red.  5:; :  white.  5:5 ;  of  Lebanon,  185. 
'•   Cedar  swamps.  :;. 
i    Cedar  Swamji  Society.  I. 

t'edrela  sinensis.  2.'>5. 

Celastrus  scandens.  Color  in  Aril  of.  :>S2. 

Cell  Wall.  Manner  of  (Growth  of,  35.5. 

Celtis  occidentalis.  64. 

Cemetery,  Laurel  Hill,  is:;. 

Cemeteries,  movement  tomoilernize,  183. 

Centennial  Exposition.  :^:!.  l_*lt. 

Centuries  of  Fungi,  -263,  '264;  of  North 
American  Fungi,  29. 

Cevlon,  Materia  Medica  of,  390. 

ChamiiH'Vparis  ol)tu.«yi.  '291  :  pisifera.  29l. 

Chapman.  Dr.  A.  W,.  :r>3. 

Chapters  on  .Vnts,  :',ul. 

Chara.  19. 

('haracteres  Plantarum.  45. 

Chart  of  Class  of  Birds.  2WA;  of  (ieology, 
2:11 ;  of  the  Races  of  Men,  •2:15  :  of  the 
Vegetable  Kingdom,  234. 


442 


INDEX. 


Charts,  Natural  History,  398;  of  Trees, 
335. 

Chartists,  249. 

Check  List  of  the  Botanical  Club  of 
North  America,  147  ;  of  Pennsylvania 
Plants,  377;  of  North  American 
Plants,  387. 

Cheliflonium  majus.  On,  277. 

Chemical  side  of  botany,  23. 

Cherry  Barks,  Structure'  of,  335. 

Cherries  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Chester,  F.  D.,  biography  of,  379. 

Chester  County,  botany  of,  9  ;  Cabinet  of 
Sciences,  9,  138. 

Chestnut  Tree,  311. 

Chevalier's  Cross,  Order  Merite  Agricole, 
359. 

Chia,  :^10. 

Chieipate,  Analysis  of,  375. 

Chilian  plants,  l>4,. 412. 

Chimaja,  310. 

Chinquapin,  390. 

Chisati,  Prof.,  337. 

Chorizema,  21. 

Christ  in  Song,  Dr.  Schaff  s,  2:57. 

Christianity  in  India,  History  of,  182, 

Christ  thorn.  (58.  433. 

Chronological  History  of  Plants,  193. 

Church  of  St.  Michael's,  46. 

Cicero's  De  Senectute,  42. 

Cider  press  at  Bartram's,  68. 

Cinchona  bicolorata,  207. 

Cinna,  Observations  on,  '660. 

Circumnutation,  Rate  of  in  Flowering 
Plants,  413. 

Citrate  of  Caffeine,  377. 

City  Hall  and  Economic  Museum,  36. 

City  Museums,  Report  on,  339. 

Civilization  of  the  Indian  Nations,  223. 

Cladrastis,  147  ;  flava,  4:36  ;  lutea,  65. 

Cladonia,  Rehm's,  272. 

Class  of  Birds,  Chart  of,  234. 

Class  of  '73,  memorial  gate  erected  by, 
22. 

Classes  in  botany  of  Dr.  Traill  Green,  209. 

Clay,  :i. 

Clayton,  John,  65  ;  herbarium  of,  116. 

Clematis  ovata,  386. 

Cliftonia  ligustrina,  66. 

Clintonia  borealis,  147. 

Clocks,  first,  in  America,  46. 

Cloves,  Study  of,  :590. 

Coat  of  Arms,  Bartram.  60 

Cockerell,  T.  D.  A.,  266. 

Coffin  made  of  Paulownia,  180. 

Cole,  Rev.  .1.  Augustus,  267. 

Cole's  Latin  Dictionary.  79. 

Collections  of  Durand,"l76. 

Collections  for  an  Essay  toward  a  Materia 
Medicaofthe  U.  S.,  110. 

Collections  from  Japan,  'So ;  of  Ledebour, 
281. 

College  Botany,  3:34. 

College  of  Pharmacy,  City  of  New  York 
purchases  Canby''s  herbarium,  279. 

College  of  Pharmacy  of  Philadelphia, 
description  of  botany  at,  23 ;  herba- 
rium of,  23 ;  laboratory  of,  23. 

College  of  Philadelphia,  89, 109. 

Collins,  Zaccheus,  4,  24,  95,  153 ;  corre- 
spondence of,  218. 

Collinsia,  a  new  genus  of  plants.  154. 

Collinson,  Peter,  4,  .51,  52  ;  letter  to,  44. 

Colorado  plants,  29. 

Colorado,  Synopsis  of  the  Flora  of,  2:38. 

Columbia  College  and  Hosack's  Garden, 
116. 


Columbian    Exposition,    :33,  34;    from  a 

botanical  standpoint,  390. 
Commercial  and  Economic  Museum,  33  ; 

established,  ;338. 
Commissioner  of  Foresty,  307. 
Committee  of  Penna.  Horticultural    So- 
ciety visits   Bartram  Garden  in  1830, 

69. 
Commons,  Albert,  biography  of,  272. 
Compendium    Florte    Philadelphicse,   8, 

162. 
Commerce  of  the  Prairies,  246. 
Commercial  Museum,  herbarium  of,  401. 
Common  Councils,  Thos.  Meehan's  career 

in,  2.52. 
Communities,  Ecologic,  4. 
Compass  of  Bartram,  52. 
Conard,  Henry  S.,  185. 
Condiments,  Nutritive  Value  of,  375. 
Cone-bearing  Plants  of  the  World,  286. 
Cones  of  hemlock,  53. 
Cones  of  spruce,  53. 
Congressional  Library,  40. 
Coniferse,  North  American,  Contributions 

to,   3:35 ;    studied  by  Henry  Trimble 

and  E.  S.  Bastin,  :366 ;    work  on,  23; 

study  and  planting  of,  285 ;  Treatise 

on,  286. 
Conopholis,  Americana,  Observations  on, 

415. 
Conrad,  Solomon  \V.,  9.  24,  15;  biography 

of.  125. 
Conservatory,  lean-to.  17. 
Conspectus  Fungorum.  129. 
Constancy  of  species,  doctrine  of.  8. 
!   Contributions  from    Botanical    Labora- 
tory,    University    of     Pennsylvania, 

account  of,  42o  ;  contents  of,  426,  427. 
Cooke,   Dr.    M.  »:.,    264,    266,  267;   Fungi 

Britannici,  270. 
Cooking  of  mushrooms  and  toadstools, 

:315. 
Corema  Conradii,  217,  218,  219. 
Coreopsis   discoidea,  341 ;    senifolia,  349. 
Cork  Tissues  in  Rosaceous  Genera,  405. 
Cork  Wings,  Development  of.  :355, 
Corn  Smut  and  Superstition,  293. 
Cornus  florida,  2.55  ;  mas,  433. 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  botanical  trip  to, 

:386. 
Correa.  Abbe,  8. 

Correa  da  Serra,  biography  of,  1.54. 
Correspondence  botany  classes,  368. 
Costa  Rica,  Account  of,  428. 
Cost  of  Horticultural   Hall,    Fairmount 

Park,  4:30. 
Coulter,  Dr.  John  M.,  :327,  :359. 
Crawford,    Joseph,     biography    of,    :376 ; 

mentioned,  2:37,  2:39. 
Creed  of  Bartram,  57. 
Crepis  tectorum,  :341. 
Cretaceous  green  sand,  3. 
Cretaceous  period,  2. 
Critraria  minutissima,  ;344. 
Crittenden  Resolutions,  252. 
Cross    fertilization,    current    views    of, 

challenged,  381. 
Cross  Fertilization  of  Flowers  by  Insects, 

Notes  on,  :38l. 
Crosses  of  Teosinthe  and  Maize,  397. 
Cruise  to  West  Indies,  16. 
Cruise  of  White  Cap,  307. 
Cuban  Fungi,  Wright's,  271. 
Cucumis,  Notes  on,  401. 
Cucurbits,  study  of,  408. 
Cupressus,  varieties  of,  288. 
Currants  at  Bartram's,  70. 


INDKX. 


443 


Curtiss.  Rev.  Mr.,  1:5:5,  2S1.  :i2(;. 
Cymoptenis.  147. 
CyperaceH',  Monogrriij)!!  of,  I'Jl. 
Cypress,  Bartram,  4'P;:]. 
Cypripediiun,  Evolution  of,  :',:*.!. 
Cypripediuni  piibeseens,  ■2U. 
Cyrilla  raceinitlora,  ('>t'>. 


Dahlias,  Native,  of  Mexico,  :-«ts. 

Daisy,  the.  and  .John  J'.artram,  17. 

Daniiana,  :;U). 

Dana,  Professor,  I'.rJ. 

Darlington,  Dr.  William,  i,  li,  12,  120,  1(;4, 
IWi,  ISO,  2.S5,  :iOri ;  biography  of,  VM  ; 
book  by,  r,,  s:^ :  herljarium  of,  142; 
public"  services  of,  1:57  et  seq.; 
Reli(iuife  Baldwiniante,  !»7,  121. 

Darlingtonia,  140.  27<>. 

Darrach,  .James,  biography  of,  2r>s. 

Darwin.  <  harles.  book  of,  10:  criticised, 
29'.);  Origin  of  Species,  ");  and  Tiiomas 
Meehan,  25:^,  2r>4 ;  views  challenged, 
3S1 ;  Insectivorous  Plants,  by,  2yy. 

Datura  Tatula.  Vitality  of  Seeds,  242. 

Dearness,  Mr.  .Iohn,2(jr). 

Death  of  Bartram,  nS ;  of  Lyon,  at  Ashe- 
ville,  N.  C,  13:S ;  of  John  H.  Redtield, 
resolutions  on.  215. 

De  Bary,  Professor,  laboratory  of,  olO. 

Decadon  verticillata,  19, 

De  Candolle,  Professor,  of  Geneva,  140. 

De  Hart,  William,  434  ;  sketch  of,  407  ;  his 
Gordonia  pubescens,  (5(3,  4;S3. 

De  Lavatione  Frigida,  S«. 

Delaware  County.  Catalogue  of  Plants, 
189 ;  History  of,  1S9 ;  Institute  of  Sci- 
ences, founding  of,  189  ;  sketch  of  In- 
stitute, -^2. 

Delaware  Indians,  1. 

Delaware  plants,  27:^. 

Delaware  River,  1,  3,  ;>!. 

Delaware  Valley  Naturalists'  Union,  olO. 

Demetrio.  Rev.  C.  H.,  2(5(5. 

Demoralization  of  Plants,  :100. 

Dencke.  Rev.  Mr..  21.  ;i<5. 

Denuert's  Vergleichende  Pflanzenmorph- 
ologie.  Review  of,  ;:597. 

Deposit  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  plants,  28. 

Descendants  of  Penn  Treaty  Elm,  432. 

De  Schweintz,  L.  D.,  4 

Descriptio,  Uberior  graminum,  9"i. 

Description  of  Plants  collected  Vjy  Wil- 
liam (Jambel,  159,  2:-52. 

Descriptions  of  Sphaeria,  1:^1. 

DeSenectute,  Cicero's  42. 

Desmazieres,  Plantes  Cryptogames  de 
France,  2(58. 

Desmids,  223;  of  the  United  States,  222. 

De  Thumen's  Fungi  Austriaci,  2(58 ;  My- 
cotheca  Universalis,  2(58. 

Detwiler,  H.,  biography  of,  24(5. 

Development  of  Natural  System,  8. 

Development  of  University  Garden,  17. 

DeWitt,  42. 

Diachoea  Thomasii,  344. 

Diaries  of  P>artram,  52. 

Diarv  of  I'ursh,  115. 

Diatomace.-e,  fossil,  :^52 ;  of  North  Amer- 
ica, 222  ;  papers  on,  373. 

Diatoms,  Notes  on,  ;^52 ;  Respiration  in, 
379;  slides,  352;  study  of,  by  C.  S. 
Boyer,  373;  studied  by  C.  H.  Kain, 
351. 

Dickinson,  Park,  253. 

Dickson,  Professor,  368. 


Dies  Ira-,  2:57. 

Dittenbach.  Elias,  211  ;  blofjmphy  of,  rj>3. 

Dillenius.  <n5. 

Diona-a  miisfiinila,  70.  279;  .\bnorniuI 
Inllorescence  of.  :!'m;  ;  History  of,  :r72  ; 
Mrs.  Treat's  studii-s  of,  2«»9. 

Dimerosporiiiuj,  Synopsis  of,  24s. 

Diplopajijius  ericoides,  310. 

Dirca  jiaiustris,  l()7. 

Discovery  of  i'ursh's  diary.  115. 

Discovery  of  Victoria  regia,  I'.HJ. 

Dispensatory,  .National,  277;  of  the 
InitiMl  .<lates.  1n2.  :;is. 

Distribution  of  White  Cedar  in  New 
.lerscy.  102. 

Divination  by  hazel-ro<l,  4(5. 

Doctrine  of  ("onstancy  of  species,  s. 

Doctrine  of  se.\  in  plants,  41. 

Dog-tooth  violets,  5;i. 

Dolley,  Charles  S..  biography  of,  :i72. 

Dome.  The  (see  Hermitage),  43. 

Donations  of  seeds,  18. 

Doth  idea,  9(5. 

Downy  mildew  of  grape,  :W2. 

Dreer's  farm,  40. 

Dresden,  laboratory  in.  :W5. 

Drexel,  A.  .1.,  garden  <»f,  :5'.i9. 

Drimys  chilensis,  207  ;  Winteri,  207. 

Drosera,  279;  Mrs.  Treat's  studies  on, 
299;  tiliformis  and  intermedia,  hy- 
brids of,  272;  rotundifolia.  19. 

Drude,  Professor  ().,  'A'M. 

Drugs,  'M\;  examination  of,  powdered, 
:^90. 

Drummond's  Mosses,  29. 

Drunkenness  of  Plants,  :i00. 

Dublin,  seeds  from,  l'^. 

Duke  of  Richmond,  52. 

Dundas  Elm.  4:-53. 

Dunes  of  Lewes,  Delaware,  312. 

Durand,  Elias,  4,  9;  collections  of,  23; 
lamented,  2(5;  article  by.  151;  bio- 
grai)hy  of,  174 ;  herbarium  of,  177  ; 
and  Ratinesciue,  17(5;  Index  of,  :i25. 

Dwarf  trees,  :>10. 

Dve  stutts,  M). 


Eastwick,  Andrew,  engages  Thos.  .Mee- 
han, 250  ;  fondness  for  liartram's  gar- 
den. 71  ;  house  burnt.  75  ;  house  torn 
down.  7(5:  a  locomotive  buibler  and 
machinist,  71 :  mortgage,  71;  prop- 
erty i)urchased,  72.  75. 

Eaton  ia,  117. 

Eckfehlt.  .Tohn  W.,  biography  of,  :>i6; 
lichens  of.  29. 

Ecologic:  Communities.  4  ;  Notes,  :^98 ; 
Studv  of  (ienus  Talinum,  :i98  ;  ques- 
tions, 11. 

Economic  botanv,  1(5,  :;:>1;  at  I  nivers- 
ity,  1(5. 

Economic  fungi,  270. 

Economic  Museum,  33. 

Edible  fungi,  315. 

Edict  of  Nantes,  149. 

Edinburgh  Botanic  (;arden,  curator  of, 
193;  seeds  from.  is. 

Edinburgh  Coal  Fields,  fossil  tlora  of, 
3(57. 

Eisenhower,  Chief,  75. 

Electric  Lighting  and  Stems  of  Bamboo, 
:^40. 

Elements  of  Botany,  Barton,  7,  S7,  110. 

Elementary  liotany,  Macloskie,  •-'*.>4. 

Elements  of  Plant  Anatomy,  355. 


444 


INDEX. 


Elements  of  Natural  History,  412. 

Elevation  of  southern  New  Jersey. 

Elliott.  Stephen,  24,  96;  book  of,  121; 
tiora  of,  2S2. 

Ellis.  Job.  B.,  11,  34o,  346;  biography  of. 
2.">y  :  centuries  of  fungi,  29  ;  associated 
with  B.  M.  Everhardt,  227  ;  moves  to 
Newfield.  N.  J.,  262. 

Ellis's  fungi,  card  index  to.  271. 

Elm,  The  American  :  The  White,  311. 

El  Maiz  :  E^tudio  Botanico  y  Economico, 
3'.)2. 

Elm  Bark,  .\dulterations  of,  378. 

Elv.  Mrs.  Theodore,  32. 

Enibrvo  Sacs,  Development  of,  410. 

Emesby.  Reply  to,  :310. 

Empire  15uilding,  36. 

Endowment  of  an  Auxiliary  Faculty  of 
Medicine,  1S2. 

Engelman.  Dr.  George,  280,  282,  286. 

Engler  and  Prantl  System,  18. 

English  dictionary,  394. 

Engraved  stone  of  south  gable,  Bart- 
ram  house,  59. 

Engraved  stone  over  window,  east  front, 
57. 

Engraving  of  Baldwin,  119. 

Ennis,  Jacob,  biography  of,  197 ;  conducts 
tield  excursions,  198  :  excursions  of, 
:-;9l ;  missionary  labors  in  Java  and 
Sumatra.  197. 

Enslen,  Aloysius,  116. 

EnteridiumRoyeanum,  363. 

Enumeration  of  publications  of  Rafin- 
esque.  148. 

Epigaea  repens.  Observations  on,  339. 

Equator,  Accumulation  of  Plant  Life  at, 
:U8. 

Eragrostis  Purshii,  342. 

Eranthishyemalis,  349 

Ericaceae,  new  plants  of,  159. 

Eriksson's  Fungi  Parasitici  Scandinavici 
Exsiccati,  269. 

Eriochloa,  A  New,  mO. 

Eriodictyon  glutinosum.  :510. 

Ervthrsea  chilensis,  206 ;  Muhlenbergii. 
*  96. 

Eshlemann.  Jacob,  208;  biography  of, 
20.S. 

Essay  on  Scammony,  207. 

Estate  of  William  Hamilton,  113. 

Estate  of  Nuttall,  1.57. 

Estimate  of  the  work  of  J.  B.  Ellis,  265. 

Ethno-botany.  :-]97. 

Ethno-botanical  subjects,  lectures  on, 
.393. 

Eugenia  Garberi.  302. 

Eupatorium  pur]>ureum,  366. 

Euphorbia  heterophylla,  70. 

Euphrasia  otticinalis",  219. 

European  botanists,  views  of,  10. 

European  cornel,  433. 

European  trip  of  J.  W.  Harshberger,  395. 

Evans,  John.  4,  185;  biography  of,  167; 
garden  of,  169:  location  of,  172;  and 
his  Garden,  :>J8. 

Evergreens,  Book  of,  286. 

Everhart.  Benjamin  M.,  11,  266;  associ- 
ated with  J.  B.  Ellis.  264,  227  ;  bio- 
graphy of,  227. 

Evolution  in  plants,  study  of,  408. 

Evolution,  Raflnesque's  views  on,  147. 

Examination  of  Powdered  Drugs,  :o90. 

Excursions  of  the  Botanical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania.  22  ;  of  J.  Bernard  Brin- 
ton,  296. 


Exhibits  from  Argentine  Republic,  35  ; 
from  Mexico,  35 ;  of  World's  Fair, 
253,  ;3:>S  ;  procured  from  foreign  coun- 
tries, :34. 

Exploring  expedition  of  Lieut.  Wheeler, 
306  ;  to  South  Seas,  191. 

Exploration  of  White  Mountains.  191. 

Experimenta  et  Meletemata  Plantarum. 
5.  41. 

Experimental  beds,  17:  farms  near  citv, 
40. 

Exposition  of  1899,  ?,'J. 

Exsiccati  of  J.  B.  Ellis,  271. 


Faculty  of  Natural    Historv.   institution 

of,  14. 
Fahnestock,   George  W.,    biographv  of, 

245. 
Fairmount  Park,  2,  33,  40:  flora  of,   220; 

pi  ntiug  of  trees  in,  :^49. 
Family  Kitchen  Garden,  195. 
Family  of  Muhlenberg.  92. 
Farlow.  Prof.  W.  G.,  263,  359. 
Fecula  of  Alstr«meria,  207. 
Fedias  of  eastern  United  States,  242. 
Fendler,  plants  of.  26  ;  Venezuelan  fungi, 

271. 
Ferns,  Dr.  Eckfeldt's  collection  of,  358; 

of  North  America,  218 :    from    Rock 

Castle.  327  :  in  South  Florida,  303. 
Fertilization  of  Flowers,  olO. 
I   Field   excursions,   31 ;    by  Jacob   Ennis, 


198. 


Field  and  garden  plants,  lectures  on,  393. 

Fighting  Rocks,  Waifs  of,  314. 

Filberts  at  P>artram's,  70. 

Finland  Fungi,  269. 

Finnish  literature,  Dr.  Porter's  contribu- 
tion to,  2:39. 

Fire,  at  Bartram's,  75;  in  Herbarium  of 
Lafayette  College,  238. 

Fire  sand,  3. 

First  botanical  professor  in  America,  7. 

First  period  of  botany  in  Philadelphia,  5. 

Fish,  Fishing,  Fisheries  of  Pennsylvania, 
pamphlet  on,  ;367. 

Flaxseed  Meal,  Sophistication  of,  378. 

Flora  of  Alaska,  310. 

Flora  Americse  Septentrionalis.  8,  27, 
111,  116. 

Flora  Boreali  Americana,  U4. 

Flora  Cestrica.  9,  140,  167, 180.  224,  2:34,  273; 
indebted  to  Joshua  Hoopes,  166. 

Flora  of  Fairmount  Park,  220. 

Flora  of  geysers,  studied,  395. 

Flora  Lancastriensis,  94. 

Flora  of  Lehigh  County,  292,  330:  of 
Martha's  Vinevard  and  Nantucket, 
219:  of  Mount"  Desert.  Me..  219;  of 
New  Jersev.  studied  bv  Mrs.  Treat, 
299 ;  of  North  America.  160,  162  ;  of 
the  Northern  and  Middle  States,  1.51 ; 
of  the  Westtown  Farm,  244. 

Flora  Philadeli)hicte,  179. 

Flora  Philadelphicte  Prodromus,  162. 

Floral  Structures,  Origin  of,  312. 

Florida  Plants,  Two  new,  242. 

Florida  plants,  25. 

Florula  Cestrica,  9,  13S  140,  168,  180. 

Flowers,  Fertilization  of,  ;310. 

Flower  Garden  Directory,  195. 

Flowers  and  Ferns  of  the  United  States, 
The  Native,  2.51. 

Flowers,  water  color  sketches  of,  414, 

Food-fishes,  1. 


iNi»i;x 


44. 


Foreign  riants,  Introduction  ol.  :;J7. 
Forest  (irowtli,    Sanitary    Innui*m-e    of, 

827. 
Forest  Leaves,  :i2,  :',11  :  account  of,  42;'). 
Forest  Leaves,  paintings  of,  2:{4. 
Forest  i)riuH'val,  :U1. 

Forest  I'reserves,  sections  suite*!  for,  :W0. 
Forest  Trees  of   America,  translati<»n  of, 

Forest  Trees,  Tennsylvania  an<l  New 
.Jersey.  L 

Forester.  Tiie,  -102;  account  of,  427. 

Forester  of  New  Jersey.  102. 

Forester  of  Philadelphia.  7'). 

Forestry.  Ki. 

Forestry  Commissioner  of  the  l'.  S.,  2',t. 

Forest  Commissioner  of  Pennsylvania, 
82,  807. 

Forestry  Commission  Report,  80S. 

Forestry.  Report  on,  807,818. 

Forestry  Scliool  at  Munich,  102. 

Fotheri:ill.  l)r.  .lolin,  r> ;  biography  of,  HC. 

Fotterail  .<(iuare,  117:  Park,2<;8. 

Founders'  l)ay  at  Lafayette  (\>llege,  28<j. 

P\)undin^^  of  "M'Malions  Garden,  lix. 

Fouquieria  splendens.  Analysis  of  Bark 
of,  875. 

Fourth  period  of  botany  in  Phila.,  10. 

Frank  ford  Park,  2.53. 

Franklin,  Dr.  Benjamin,  G,  102. 

Franklinia.  (i(!. 

Franklin  Institute,  40;  Journal  of,  428. 

Franklin  stove.  24(i. 

Fraxinus  (iregfgii,  24(5. 

Free  Library  Company, 40. 

Fresh-water  Alga;  of  the  United  States, 
222. 

Fretz,  C.  D..  biography  of.  840. 

Fuclisia.  hybridizing  of,  24y. 

FuUerton.  Vice-Provost,  18,  870. 

Fumariace;e.  Andrcecium  of,  810. 

Fungi,  278,  890 ;  boxes  for,  267  ;  edible, 
81.5 :  poisonous,  31o. 

Fungi  American!.  Kavenel,  267 ;  Aus- 
triaci,  268;  Britannici,  270;  Caro- 
liniani  Exsiccati  Kavenel,  287 ; 
Europfei,268;  Exsiccati  .Scandinavici, 
270 ;  Gallici,  271  :  Guaranitici,  269  ; 
Hungarici,  ;!52;  Langobardiaj  Exsic- 
cati, 270;  Nova  Ctesariensls,  263; 
Parasitici  Scandinavici  Exsiccati, 
269;  Saxonici  Exsiccati,  269 ;  Selecti, 
271. 

Fungi,  habitat  list  of.  846  :  host  index  of, 
:M6  ;  study  of.  bv  B.  >L  Everhart,  227  ; 
by  Dr.  Herbst,  298. 

Fungicides,  :^(;2. 

Funghi  Parassiti  del  Piante  Coltivate  od 
rtili,  270. 

Fussell,  Edwin,  biography  of,  247. 

Fussell,  Linnteus,  M.  D.,  biography  of, 
82.S. 


Galls.  Four  Oak,  from  India.  :¥>{). 

Galls.  Some  American,  :!(')6. 

Galveston  .Advertiser.  216. 

Gambel,  William,  biography  of,  281  ;  fate 
of,  282  ;  ]ilants  of,  1.57. 

Gambelia  speciosa,  282. 

Gambler.  86.5. 

Garber.  Dr.  A.  P.,  4,  2.5.  282,  :^47 :  bio- 
graphy of,  :-]02  ;  excursion  to  Puerto 
Rico,  :^08. 

Garberia,  :^08. 

Garden  of  Bartram  started,  .58. 


(iardeu.  Botanic,  at  Iniversity  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 17. 

(Jarden  of  .lohn  Evans,  descrii)tion  of. 
169  et  se<|. 

Gunleii  of  Dr.  Ilo.^ack,  11.5. 

Garden  of  nuMJicinal  plants  on  Lower 
\N  isNiliickcin,  .5. 

Garden  Pels.  My.  -.M. 

(ianleners"  .Monthly,  accfiunt  of,  424. 

fiaiirineie.  North  American,  310. 

(ihosl  of  Aaron's  Prong,  ;;14. 

Gifford,  John,  427;  biography  of,  401; 
travels  of.  402. 

Gingk(.  biloba.  11;;:  at  Woodlands.  4:;4. 

Ginseng.  .5:;  ;  cultivation  of.  :',<i6. 

(;inird  College.  History  of.  isj. 

Girdled  Limb,  Vitality  of.  :50l. 

<;lacial  gravel  deposit.  17. 

Glass  san<l.  2. 

(il<»ssary  wall.  22.5. 

Gotldard.  Dr.  Paul  B.,2.5,  19.5. 

(iu'the's  Hermann  and  Dorothea,  2:57. 

(ioodale.  Prof,  (ieorge  L.,  :V^'>. 

(iordonia  Altamaha,  2.5(; ;  pubescens, 
407.  l;n. 

Gordonia  pubescens  collected  by  the 
Bartrams,  V,r, ;  De  Hart's.  4:W. 

G(ittingen.  I'niversity  of,  :;:^6. 

Governor  Logan,  5. 

Gelsemium  sempervirens.  Internal  Cam- 
bium of,  312;  Internal  Phloem  of, 
414. 

Genera  of  North  American  Plants,  s.  1.5:]. 

Genera  Plautarum.Bentham  and  Hooker, 

Genera  of  Katinesque,  147. 

General  List  of  Botanists.  404. 

Gentiana  alba.  242 :  Andrewsii,  293 ; 
Chirayita,  207. 

Geographical  Biology.  :!9<; :  botany.  It!; 
distribution.  11. 

Geographical  Distribution  of  Animals 
and  Plants.  192. 

Geology  of  Philadelphia.  2. 

Geology.  Chart  of.  2:'rJ. 

Geranium  maculatum.  Structure  of,  :>>5. 

Gerard's  Herbal.  79. 

German  Pietists.  5. 

Germantown  yellow-wood.  4:?<). 

Gey.ser  Hora  studie<I.  :-.95. 

Graham.  Hugh,  nursery  of,  400. 

Gramineie,  papers  on.  :";()0,  ;^61,  3«)2. 

Grapes  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Grape,  books  on,  404. 

Grape  vine  diseases,  :',f)l. 

Grandfather  Mount  visited  botanicallv, 
:-]84. 

Grass  herbarium  of  F.  Lamson-Scribner, 
3;59. 

Grass  Names,  Index  of.  :;tii. 

Grasses,  American  (illustrated).  ?S2:  Eco- 
nomic, :^i>2 :  of  Muhlenberg.  96;  of 
Pennsylvania.  List  of.  '242:  of  Phila- 
delphia. :>iO  ;  jiapers  on,  ;>60.  :i61,  :>62  ; 
as  Sand  and  Soil  Binders,  ;>62  ;  Useful 
and  Mrnauu'Utal,  :;62. 

Gravel  banks.  17. 

(travel,  yellow.  2. 

Grave  of  KaMnesque.  14(i. 

Grave-stone  of  Bartram's  slave,  68;  of 
Dr.  William  Darlington,  14:;. 

Gray,  Dr.  Asa,  '25,  26,  •Jli;,  •j.su.  -^s^.  286,  297, 
;t27;:5:^6;  tries  to  dissuade  -Mrs.  Treat, 
;^00 :  remarks  on  death  of,  :^12.  :->40 ; 
and  John  H.  Re<llield.  21:'.;  writes  to 
Edward  Tatnall,  2J5,  iij(;. 


440 


INDEX. 


Grav  Herbarium,  40:;. 

Grav's  Atlasof  the  United  States.  239. 

Grav's  Manual.   147:    Review    of    Sixth 

Edition.  242. 
Great  Kgg  Harbor  River,  3. 
Grecian  ])hints,  281. 

Greek  inscription  on  Bartram  house,  59. 
Green,  Dr.  Traill,  biographv  of.  209,  280. 
Green.  Prof.  E.  L.,  282.  327. 
Greeneria  fuliginea.  362. 
Greenhouse,  cost  of  erection.  14. 
Greenhouses,  description  of  University, 

20  et  seq. 
Greenman,  Jesse  M.,  28,  239;  biography 

of.  403. 
Green  sand,  cretaceous,  3. 
Gregg,  Josiah,  biography  of,  246. 
Greggia,  246. 

Gregory,  Emily  L.,  11;  biography  of,  3.53. 
Growth  of  small  parks,  2.52. 
Guatemala,  account  of  Republic  of,  428. 
Guiana,  paper  on.  190. 
Guiana  and  Venezuela,  boundary  of,  190. 
Gums  and  Resins.  Classification  of.  409. 


Habenaria  Garberi,  242,  302  :  grandiflora, 
244. 

Helenia  Rothrockii,  30r>. 

Halesia  Meehani.  2.55. 

Halslead.  Prof.  Byron,  291. 

Haines.  Reuben,  153. 

Hamilton.  William.  133;  estate  of,  113: 
of  Woodlands.  4:^. 

Hamilton  Walk.  21. 

Hanbury  Gold  Medal,  278. 

Hand-book  of  Analytical  Chemistry,  364. 

Hand-book  of  Ornamental  Trees,  251 ; 
written  at  Bartram  Garden,  63. 

Harfordia.  Notes  on,  242. 

HarknessDr.  H.  W..  266. 

Harrison,  Dr.  C.  C,  17, 18,  75,  870 ;  gener- 
osity of.  20. 

Harrowgate  Park,  25.3. 

Harshberger,  John  W.,  11,  16,  23;  article 
by,  5. 172  :  teaching  of,  16  ;  biography 
of,  :-}9l  :   European  trip  of,  395. 

Hawaiian  Islands.  Flora  of,  :387. 

Hazel-rod  in  divination,  46. 

Harvey,  slave  of  Bartram,  68. 

Heermann"s  collections,  10. 

Heister,  John  P.,  292;  biography  of,  186. 

Heleuiuni  Hoopesii,  166. 

Helleborus  niger.  207. 

Heller,  A.  A.,  biography  of,  382. 

Helonias  bullata,  19  :  in  Xew  Jersey,  ;>52. 

Hemiarcyria  clavata,  :344. 

Hemlock.  The,  SU. 

Hemlock  P>arks,  Structure  of,  335. 

Hemlock  cones,  .53. 

Henslow,  Rev.  Geo.  and  Thos.  Meehan. 
2.54. 

Henslow,  Rev.  Geo.,  book  of,  312. 

HepatiCct.  25,  273. 

Herbal  of  Parkinson,  .50. 

Herbalists,  5. 

Herbarium  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  218;  sketch 
of.  23  et  seq.:  and  J   H.  Redfield,  214. 

Herbaria  of  Clayton,  Pallas,  Plukenet, 
Catesby.  Morison,  Sherard,  Walter, 
Banks,  116. 

Herbarium  of  Isaac  Burk.  220:  William 
Canby,  279:  College  of  Pharmacv. 
23:  Columbia  Universitv.  :50 :  of 
Commercial  Museums.  401:   Dr.  Dar- 


lington, 142;  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. 30:  of  De  Schweinitz.  l:)0; 
of  Durand.  177  ;  of  Edinburgh  Botanic 
Garden.  :J6S:  of  J.  W.  Harshberger, 
394:  of  Harvard.  :B0:  of  Latavette 
College,  2:38:  of  Lambert,  27;  of  J. 
C.  Martindale,  :324 ;  of  Menke,  24, 
196  :  Missouri  Botanical  Garden,  30  ; 
of  Muhlenberg,  96,  218  ;  North  Ameri- 
can. 26 :  of  Pennsylvania.  2:>8 ;  of 
Rafinesque,  146  ;  of  Aubrey  H.  Smith, 
210  :  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 16. 

Herbst,  Dr.  Wm.,  186,  291.  330  ;  biographv 
of,  29. 

Heritage,  Benjamin,  biography  of,  29. 

Hermitage  (incorrectly  Monastery),  gar- 
den at,  43. 

Heuchera  Americana.  Structure  of,  3:55. 

Hibbertand  Buist.  194. 

Hibbert's  florist  establishment,  194. 

Hickories.  The,  236. 

Hickorv,  The  Butter  Nut.  311  ;  Shell 
Bark.  'P,ll. 

Hicks.  G.  H..  Article  by.  144. 

Hieracium  aurantiacum.  219. 

Hildebrand's  Flora  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  387. 

Himalaya  seeds,  169. 

Historic  Mansions  and  Buildings  of  Phil- 
adelphia, 42. 

Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania.  40. 

History  of  Barbadoes,  190:  "of  the  British 
Empire  in  India.  182;  of  Christianity 
in  India,  182 :  Chronological,  of 
Plants.  193;  of  Delaware  Co..  167, 
189:  of  Girard  College,  182  :  of  Haver- 
ford  College,  174 :  of  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  Univ.  of  Pa.. 
205,  208;  of  the  Pennsvlvania  Hos- 
pital, 182:   of  the  Univ.'of  Pa..  ls2. 

Histoire  des  arbres  forestiers  de  I'Amer- 
ique,  7. 

Histoire  des  Chenes  de  I'Amerique.  7. 

Hitchcock,  Dr.  Edward.  292. 

Holcus  bicolor,  a  substitute  for  choco- 
late, 162. 

Hoi  way,  E.  W.  D..  266. 

Home  Studies  in  Nature,  299. 

Honey  Glands  of  Pitcher  plants.  371. 

Honey  Locust.  312. 

Hongos  Sud  Americanos.  269. 

Hooker,  Sir  Wm.  J..  24,  163,  195,  2.50. 

Hoopes,  Joshua,  4,  164.  285;  biographv  of. 
285. 

Hoopesia,  166. 

Hop  hornbeam,  312. 

Horoscopy  practiced,  46. 

Horticultural  Building.  Fairmount  Park, 
:33 :  account  of,  429. 

Horticultural  Society  of  Penna.,  40. 

Horticulture  in  Philadelphia,  strides  of, 
194. 

Hot-houses  at  Bartranys,  70. 

Hot  springs.  Vegetation  of,  :59S. 

House  of  Bartram  described,  61 :  of  East- 
wick,  78;  of  H.  Marshall,  84. 

House  Plants  as  Sanitary  Agents.  350. 

House  of  Rafinesque,  146. 

Hovenia  dulcis.  255. 

How  to  Know  Trees.  ;304. 

Humboldt.  Alexander  von.  97. 

Hungarian  Fungi,  Linhart,  268. 

Hungarian  Daisy.  Sophisticated  with  In- 
sect Powder.  37>i 

Hunt.  J.  Gibbons.  11;  biography   of,   2.57. 


INDKX 


W 


Huxley,  Professitr,  'J:>.'>. 

Hyacinths.  WatiT,  I'.i. 

Hyljrids  of  Droseia  liiliforiuis  and  D.  in- 

tt.'iine<lia.  :'.7_'. 
Hybrid  of    Maize  and   Teusinthe,    Notes 

on,  S'.»7. 
Hyl>rids.  Minute  Structure  of,  o71. 
Hybrid  I'lants.  publications  on,  :^(ilt. 
Hybridity  of  Hartrani  Oak.  CS. 
Hydroca"rl)ons  in  I'lants,  :;7ti. 
Hydroeliaritc  Society.  1. 
Hydrographic  features  of  riiiladelphia, 

l:?. 
Hyoscyanius  nisrer  101». 
Hyi.oi.liosphorous  Acid,  :;77. 


Idaho,  botanical  trips  to.  :>S.5,  :>S7. 

Ilysantiies.  1  17. 

lilustrateil  Flora,  Britton  and  Brown's, 
1  17. 

illustrations  of  Medical  Botany,  203,  207. 

Imbibition  of  Seeds.  Heat  of,  2*)4. 

Ininiiirration  of  Maisch  to  America,   274. 

Imjicrial  Academy  of  Erlan^en,  97. 

Imjirovements  at  Hiirtram's  (ianlen.  I't. 

Incei)tion  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expe- 
dition, lO.'i. 

Independence  Hall.  IJ. 

Index  Flora  Lancastriensis,  94. 

Index  of  the  (ienera  in  the  Herbarium  of 
the   Academy   of  Natural    Sciences, 

India  Cinnamon,  207. 

India  Opium,  207. 

Indian  Food  Plants,  mr^,  :]r>f>. 

Indian  funt^i.  2(>7. 

Indian  Plant  Hunter,  The,  184. 

Indian  plants,  24. 

Indians,  Delaware,  1. 

Injurious  Insects  of  the  Farm  and  Gar- 
■  den,  :-;0l. 

Inoculation  for  Smallpox,  101. 

Inscription  on  Gravestone  of  Dr.  Dar- 
lington. 14:5. 

Inscription  over  window,  r>7,  GO. 

Insect  Menagerie,  299. 

Insectivorous  plants,  articles  on,  279; 
Pltchered.  :;71. 

Insectivorous  Plants,  Darwin's,  299. 

Inside  of  Hartram  house,  (Jl :  Marshall 
house.  84. 

Institution  of  Natural  History  Faculty,  14. 

Insular  vegetation.  219. 

Intramolecular  respiration.  339. 

Introduction.  I. 

Introduction  of  Lombardy  Poplar  and 
Norway  Maple,    131. 

Introduction  to  .Systematic  and  Physio- 
logical liotany,  lo;\ 

Iris  bed.  19. 

Iris.  Structure  of,  33ri. 

Iron  wood.  312. 

Irocjuois  Lake.  .^L 

Irritable  stamens  in  the  Flowers  of  Por- 
tulaca  grandillora.2l9. 

Irrlto-contractility  in  Plants.  372. 

Isoetes  Engelmnnni,  31  ;  saccharata,  379. 

Itaiiiin  collections,  2S1. 

Ithan  Creek,  172. 

Ivy  Lodge,  (lermantown,  1S3 


.lackson  arl)oretum,    Londongrove,    Pa. 

40S. 
Jackson,  Halliday,  biography  of,  223. 


.lalap  plant.  2iHi. 

.lanus.  'ihoinas  P..  11  :  biography  of.  is^".  : 
an<l  Pursh's  Diary.  11.');  remcjves  to 
Cambridge,  1S7;  ussociuted  with  Les- 
(piereux.  1^7 

.lardin  .les  Plantes,  s,  ls«;. 

.laune  des  Pre/,,  194. 

.lavne.  Dr.  Horace,  liberality  of.  1'). 

Jeilerson,  27  ;  and  Lewis  and  Clark  expe- 
dition,;«;  and  Western  exploration, 
10'). 

Jeilerson  Medical  College,  newlv  started, 
14. 

Jena,  seeds  from.  is. 

Joad,  <ieo.  Curling,  29. 

Job.  Thomas.  272. 

Johnson.  Wm.  Poyntell.  20:5. 

Jones.  Commod(jre  T.  Ap.  Catesby,  19. 

Jordan.  Davi<l  S.,  .W. 

Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Science,  account  of,  423:  article  in, 
10. 

Journal  Franklin  Institute,  account  of, 
423. 

Journal  of  F*harmacy.  The  American.  2:J. 

Journeys  of  De  Schweinitz,  129. 

Jujube  tree,  2.'i»!. 

Juncus,   19 ;    species  of  near   Lancaster, 

Juniata  Park,  2r>3. 

Junii)erus,  20,  290. 

Jussieu,  Antoine  Laurent  de,  S. 

Jussieu.  Bernard  de,  x. 

Jussleu's  System,  s. 

Justice  of  i'eace,  Moses  Marshall  as,  107. 


Kain,  Charles  Henry,  biography  of,  :;.'>0. 
Kalm,  Peter.  4,  (5 :  biograi>hy  of,  77  :  book 

of,  77  :  and  Linnpeus  ;  travels,  0. 
Kalmias,  20. 
Kalevala,  The,  2:37. 
Kansas  fungi.  270. 
Karsten,  Dr.  P.  A.,  of  Mustiala.  Finland, 

2(59. 
Keck.  Karl,  specimens  of,  281. 
Keen,  Dr.  G.  B.,  117. 
Keller,   Dr.   Ida.  11  ;    biography   of,  :580; 

work  on  U)cal  tlora.  31. 
Kellermann.  Dr.  W.  A.,  2tit). 
Kellermann  and  Swingle  Kansas  fungi, 

270. 
Kellogg,  26,  281. 
Kelpius,  ri:  death  of.  42. 
Kelsey,  Kev.  F.  D..  2(56. 
Kentucky  cotfee-tree,  70,  311. 
Kew  (iarilen,  19,  1:59. 
Key  West,  Fla..  collecting  trip  t(^.  :'.H. 
KilVington.  Robert,  biography  of.  1^^. 
Kimber,     Abigail.     l)iography     of.     167 : 

teacher  of  (irace  Anna  Lewis.  234. 
Kin.  Mathias.  4:^(5;  biography  of.  1x4. 
King's.  Clarence,  expedition  of.  1^7. 
Kingsessing.  47.  7>>,  S6,  h',y>. 
Knees  of  bald  cypress,  :*>:>. 
Kraemer,  Dr.  Henry,  11.  22,  23:  Itiogra- 

phy  of,  3SS. 
Krami)h.  Kev.  Samuel,  96. 
Kriegers  Fuuiji  Saxonici  Kxsiccati.  2i!9. 
Krout.  Dr.  A.   F.   K..   122:   biograi^hy   of, 

:WS. 
Krug.  Prof.  Leopold.  29. 
Kuhn.  Dr.  Atlam.  4.  6,  12;  biography  of, 

ss;  uiedical  studv  of.  ss ;  electiim  to 

College  of  Phil:i<lelphia.  S9 :  lectures 

of,  90:  and  Linnaus.  s-^ :  portrait  of.  88. 


448 


INDEX. 


Kuhnia,  91. 

Kuhnistera.  Notes  on,  ?.8S. 
Kunik'rs.  Thones.  lL'."i. 
Kunze's  Fungi  Selecti.  271. 
Kuram  Valley,  Afghanistan,  28. 
Kyllingla,  124. 


Labiatfe.  24. 

Laboratories  at  Bonn,  Berlin,  Dresden, 
Munich,  39."i. 

Laboratory  of  the  College  of  Pharmacy, 
2:J;  of  Professor  De  Hary.  310. 

Laboratory  Exercises  in  Botany,  334. 

Lafayette  College.  20'.i  ;  herbarium  of,  288. 

Lambert's  Herbarium,  27. 

Lamson-^^cribner,  Frank,  358;  bibli- 
ography of,    3H0. 

Lancaster  County,  Lichens  of,  388  ;  plants 
of,  241. 

Langlois.  Rev.  A.  B.,  266. 

Landniiirks  of  Old  Philadelphia  fast  dis- 
appearing, 436. 

Landreth.  David,  biography  of,  91  ; 
nursery  of,  193.  194. 

Landreth's  farm,  40  ;  mansion,  91. 

Landreth  Public  .School,  91. 

Latitude  of  Philadelphia,  1. 

Laurel  Hill  Cemetery,  1S3. 

Lea.  Thos.  (t.,  of  Cincinnati,  2d. 

Leaf  scab  of  orange,  3G2. 

LeBoutillier,  Roberts,  21,  22. 

Le  Conte,  John  Eatton.  biography  of, 
149  ;  portrait  of,  149. 

Lectures  of  John  F.  Waterhouse,  173. 

Legend  of  Polecat  Hollow,  31.5. 

Leguminosse,  Poisonous  Properties  of, 
310. 

Lehigh  County  flora,  292,  330. 

Leidv,  Dr.  Joseph,  259,338;  plants  of,  16. 

Leminon,  Professor,  16,  26,  282,  326. 

Lemna  trisulca,  341. 

Lemon  Hill,  Fairmount  Park,  194. 

Leon,  Dr.  Nicolas,  392  ;  sketch  of,  39.5. 

Lepidophloios.  paper  on,  369  ;  on,  371. 

Lepidoptera,  collection  of,  324, 

Lespedeza  striata,  242. 

Lesquereux's  algte,  25. 

Lesquereux  and  James,  187  ;  Manual  of 
Mosses  by,  3-52. 

Lewis  and  Clark  plants,  account  of,  26  et 
seq.;  re-discovered,  116. 

Lewis  and  Clark's  expedition,  inception 
of,  lOo ;  arrangement  of.  118. 

Lewis,  Grace  Anna,  167 ;  biography  of, 
233. 

Lewis,  John  F.,7.5. 

Letter  of  Gen.  I.  J.  Wistar  to  Prof.  C.  S. 
Sargent,  232. 

Liatris  Garberi,  302 ;  Helleri,  384. 

Liatris,  A  new,  242. 

Library,  Bartram  Memorial  Botanical,  76. 

Library  of  Bartram  family,  71 :  of  Com- 
mercial Museum.  38;  of  Painter,  185; 
of  John  H.  Kedfield,217. 

Library  facilities  of  Philadelphia,  401. 

Library,  Loganian,  41. 

Libriform  tissue,  Pores  of,  3.55. 

Licea  minima,  344. 

Lichens,  273;  of  Alaska,  .310;  collection 
of,  272;  Dr.  Eckfeldt's,  357;  papers 
on,  by  Dr.  Eckfeldt;  of  Lancaster 
Lo..  Pa.,  3SS. 

Lichenotheca  Universalis,  272. 

Life  and  Labors  of  St.  Augustine,  237. 

Life  and  Writings  of  Rafinesque,  144. 


Life  and  Times  of  Ulric  Zwingli,  237. 

Lilium  auratum,  218  ;  Carolinianum,  384 ; 

Lilley,  Robert  B.,  85. 

Lincoln,  Mrs.,  botanical  book  of,  292. 

Lindbladia,  ::;43. 

Linden.  The  American,  :^11. 

Lindheimer,  jilants  of,  26. 

Lindley"s  ^'egetable  Kingdom  used,  284. 

Linhart's  Hungarian  Fungi,  2(;s, 

Linnaan  enlhusiasm.  c,  :  ideas. 5;  system, 

6;  Society  of  Lancaster,  2:'.s. 
Linnaeus  and  Bartram,  53  ;  and  Kalm,  77  ; 

and  Kuhn,  88. 
Llnnseus'  Characteres  Plantarum,  45. 
Liparis  liliifolia,  260. 
Lippincott,  Wm.,  344. 
Liquor  Carbonis  detergens,  ;377. 
List  of  American  Birds,  87. 
Loan  bill  of  Philadelphia,  39. 
Lobeliacew,  New  plants  of,  159. 
Loblolly  pine,  311. 
Location    of  the    Academy  of    Natural 

Sciences,  188  ;  of  M'Mahon's  Garden, 

117  ;  of  Evans'  Garden,  172. 
Loco  Weeds,  Notes  on,  378. 
Locust,  Honey,  :312. 
Logan,  James,  4,  5 ;    and  Bartram,    50 ; 

biography  of,  41 ;  paintings  of,  42. 
Loganiacese,  2.5:3. 
Loganian  Library,  41. 
Lojka's  Lichenotheca  Universalis,  272. 
Lombardy  poplar,  introduced,  434. 
Longitude  of  Philadelphia,  1. 
Lonicera  tartarica,  118. 
Lord  Petre,  .52. 
Lotus  Helleri,  384. 
Lowe.  Dr.  Clement  B.,  23,  889;  biography 

of,  344. 
Lowe,  Mrs.  Josephine  B.,  422. 
Lower  and  Higher  Plants,  Chemistry  of, 

376. 
Lowrie,  J.  R.,  242. 
Ludwig,  Dr.  De  B.  K.,  393. 
Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  Flora  of,  388. 
Lychnis  vespertina,  226. 
Lygodium  palmatum,  218,  260. 
Lyon.     John,    114 ;    biograghy    of,    133 ; 

plants  of,  116. 
Lyonia,  133. 


MacElwee,  Alexander,  422  ;  biography  of, 
399. 

Maefarlane,  John  M.,  11,  22 ;  and  Bar- 
tram's  (xarden.  75  ;  biography  of,  367  ; 
plans  for  garden,  17  ;  teaching  of,  16. 

Macloskie,  George,  biography  of,  293;  re- 
ceives medal,  294. 

Madura  aurantiaca,  origin  of  name,  409. 

Maclure,  Wm.,  1-54. 

Macoun,  Dr.  John,  266,  327;  -Canadian 
Mosses  of,  272. 

Magnolia  acuminata,  65,  83  ;  Fraseri,  65, 
87;  glauca,  243;  grandiflora,  113; 
macrophylla,  185,  410 ;  umbrella,  185  ; 
swamp,  20,  312. 

Magnolia  macrophylla,  Meng's  at  Ver- 
non Park,  436. 

Mahonia,  153. 

Maiseh,  Prof.  John  M.,  :344,  365,  389 :  ad- 
dress of,  92 ;  biographj^  of,  273 :  at 
Pliiladelphia  College  of  Pharmacy, 
27(i. 

Maize,  Work  on,  41 ;  and  Teosinthe, 
Crosses  of,  397. 


IXDKX. 


440 


Malatt' of  lion.  .•;77 
Manual,  (irav's.  1  is 
Manual  of  thV  Mosses  of  No.  ti.  Au.urira, 

IN/ :  r.-vicw  of,  :;:.L'. 
Manual  of  ort^auic  MatLTiu  M,-.Iira.  L'77 

"";;:i;:^,:;;;u-;;;;r;s  "'•"-'•""-' 

Marl  IhmIs.  :;.     ' 

^laitha's  Vineyard.  Flora  of,  -I'l 

Murlin.  I)r.  (ieorK'c.  L"...  2.K;.  ;il() ;  hio;,Ma,.l,  v 

of.  1.1/ :  studies  of  fuuKi.  L'l.s. 
^ '"';!;"'.';'.'!'•. J-^'"y'-   ''  •-'•'•  -'•  11  :    "„tiee  of, 

7  on;  ?;/•'"'"!■;  '^V*^''';'l''!>'  "''  ••'•-'-^■  eoHec- 
u  Vi       •   l"^'''l>»iriuin  of,   824,    ;wi 

Mar!iu;Von"'r°''''''"''''^*'^'^'-'^-'-'- 

Manshall,   Humphry,    I,   7.   101',   lU.   171- 

AHmstum  Aniericauum,  7;  biof,'rapby 

MarsJmlltou,  Hotanic  Garden  ut,  sl' 

Marshall  s  hou.se,  inside  of  M 

Marshall     Moses.  li'O:  biography  of,  ')7- 

travels  of,  1()l',  K),").  ' 

i>r!irslin!lia,  s],  ](»:•,  joi. 
Marsilia  <|uadrifolia,  ll». 
Masters,  Dr.  Maxwell  T.,  L'.sc, 

'^^^'^.V-I'^V^^'"^ '••'*'  '-'^  College  of  I'banuacv 

-'•->;  Ireatise  on,  ;;is. 
Maupay's  garden.  V.)l. 
Mauvaisc's  Terres,  Plants  of,  211. 
Mr    alia    Kdunm.l  C,  biograj-hy  of,  ;^J.S. 
Me    (.well  laniily  at  A.sheville,  N.  C,  1:«. 

')f'''r?'  ^■"t'^- ^'^'irl«s.  ^^;  biography 

M'u!ft^!i.'  ^%"'^'^'  biography  of,  117. 
MMahons    American     Gardener.    188- 
gajden,  <J1.  194 ;  location  of  garden, 

McNab"    James,  late  Curator  Edinburgh 

(larden,  198.  ^ 

Michael,  Helen  Abbott,  375. 
Michener,  Ezra,  biography  of,  17S 
Mu'haux,  Andre,  4,  7  ;  bo6k  of,  7. 
Miehanx,  the  elder,  8M. 
Michaux,  Grove,  Fairmount  I'ark   484 
JMichaux  Lecture  Fund   80'» 
Michaux's  Flora  Koreali  Americana  114  • 
of  ""fS  ^^^^^  ^^  America,  translation 
Micro' Fungi  Hritannitd.  270. 
Micro.scoi)e,  A  Convenient,  810. 
Microscoi.e,  j-erfection  of,  5. 
Muiroscoiiic  Studies,  L'l'l 
Mi.seroscopes  of /entuiaver,  224. 
Mi-ralion  of  IMunts.  :;is" 
Mill,  .l(.hn  .Stuart,  collection  of,  2;".. 

•m         ^^''^^l'*'  ^^'•'  -;  biography  of, 
Mimicry  in  Plants,  812 
Medical   Kotany,   Bigelow's  <M  ;   Illustra- 
tions of,  20:'). 
Medical  Deiiartment  of  the    University 
History  of",  20.".,  20S.  ' 

Medical  gardeiiof  Rosicrucian  Mystics,48 
Medieval  scolasticism,  5.  •'  '     • 

Medlars  at  Hartram's,  70. 
Med  u  ilary  Kays  and  TimJ)er  Strength,  81'> 
Meeluin,  Prof.  Thomas,  11,  2r>,  2(5,  2<)  88  • 
and  Hartram  Garden,  (i.!,  7'>  71  •  hio'"- 
rai.hy  of,  219:  Handl.ook'  ..f 'orna- 
mental Trees.  2.^1  ;  and  herbarium 
fund,  80:  observations  on  pl.-uits  ";">!  • 


I  elected  a  visitor  of  ilarvanl    Cniver- 

,    Meehans  Monthly,   siarte<!,   2r)2 ;  .sketch 
I  o(,   121. 

Meehans    Nursery,    <lescription    of     "."^ 

«'l  sei|. 
Meehan  and  W'aiidtdl,  2'.<(, 
Meehan,  William    K.,   29;   biogiai.hv  of 

:m;<;. 
Meetings  organizing  Hartram    .Memorial 

Lilu-ary.  7<>. 
Meissner   ilerbarium   of   C.lumbia    (Jol- 

b'ge,  217. 
^fclic:e,  Kevision  of,  :u\U. 
Melitotusalba,  Movement.-  of  Leaves  of, 

Meliola.  SyiK.psis  of,  21.S. 
^bdlichamp,  I)r.,2.'<2. 

Memoranda  of  the  Effects  of  Carburetted 
lydrogen   (Jas    on    a    Collection    of 
Kxotic  Plants,  21."). 
Memorials  of  15artram  and   Marshall.   83, 

Memorial  botanical  librarv.  7<;. 
Miinorial  Kun<l,  Kcdlield,"2l7 
Memorial,  gate-wav,  21. 
Memorial  Meetings,  Dr.  Traill  Green,  209. 
Meng.    Mr.,   IS-l;   Magnolia   macrophylla 

of,  i8r». 

Menke's  Herbarium.  24.  P.lC. 
Menyanthes  trifoliata.  174. 
Mexico.  P.otanical  Excursion  to,  897 
Afexican  Flora,  Observations  on,  89.S 
Mexican  jilants,  25.  29,  2.S2,  4U8. 
Mexican  Publications,  Recent,  :;97. 
Mexican  Tropical  IJolunic  Station.  :!"tN 
Monarda  fistulosa.  Fertilization  in   :'hS1 
Monastery   (written  wrongly  for  llermi- 

tage),  garden  at,  48. 
Monograph  of  Cyj>eracea>,  124  :  of  N.  A 
Carices,  181  :    on    Pasi)alum,   ir)0:on 
Rhynchospora,  124  ;  on  Tannins,  :W4  • 
on  Viola,  1:^0. 
^Monographs  of  Philadeli)hia  Commercial 

Museums,  account  of,  42.S. 
Mormodicas,  A  Few,  401. 
Morphology,  advance  of,  11. 
Morphology,  It];   of   the   Andnecium   of 

the  Fumariaceie.  810. 
Morison's  herbarium,  lie. 
Morocco,  Flora  of,  2S2. 
Moroiig,  Dr.  Thos.,  29. 
Morris.  Robert.  Sago  Palm,  4:55. 
Mortgage  of  Eastwick  on  Rartram's  Gar- 

<leii,  71. 
Moss  Chai.ter  of  Philadelphia,    descrip- 
tion of,  422. 
Mosses,  Macoun's  Canadian,  272-  Maiiu-il 
of,    1S7,   852:    of    Pennsylvania     "•':!• 
Study    of,   1,S7:  of  the  Rockv   Moun- 
tains and  Rritish  America,  29. 
INfount  Desert,  Flora  of,  219. 
Mountain  laurel.  5:;. 
Mount  Washington,  lirst  botanical  ascent 

of,  191. 
Movement  for  modernizing  cemeteries. 

Movement  of  Protoplasm.  :isi 
Movements  of  Races  of  Men,  192. 
Mucilage,  Origin  of.  in  Plants,  890. 
Mueller.  I?aron  F.  von   2.s  •><) 
Midler,  Dr.  Gliristian.  97.' 
^lulilenberg,  Gotthilf  H.  K.,  1     ls|  •  and 

Dr.   P.a'dwin.  121:    biography   of   irj ; 

book  of.  7  ;  corrvs|.oudencc  of.  98,  97  ; 

and  the  grasses,  9(i. 


450 


INDEX. 


Muhlenberg  family.  02. 

Muhlenberg's  Catalogue,  reduction  of.  s. 

406  ;  Herbarium,  M,  21i>. 
Muhlenbergia.  '.Hi. 
Mulberries  at  Bartram's,  70. 
Mullein  Oil.  :J77. 
Mullica  Kiver,  :-;. 
:Munich,  Forestry  School  at,  102. 
Munich^  laboratory  at,  :->9ii. 
Musci.  catalogue  of  N.  A.,  352;  frondosi, 

•122 ;  hepatiea',  122. 
Mnshroouis  or  Toailstools..  2'.)o. 
Musiiroouis,  cooking  of,  :-!l.i. 
Musfuui  of  Economic  Botany,  !(>. 
Museum  Buildings  in  West  Philadelphia, 

^fuseum  and  garden,  397. 

Museums  of  Philadelphia,  2.^3. 

Mvcetozoa.  Study  of.  803. 

Mycologic  Center,  Bulletin  of,  12S. 

Mycological  Club.  Sketch  of.  :n  ;  herba- 
rium of  W.  C.  Stevenson,  3i'!. 

Mycologic  Flora  of  Chester  County,  407: 
work  of  Geo.  Martin,  248. 

Mycotheca  Marchica,  269;  Universalis. 
268  ;  Veneta  (Saccardo),  26S. 

Myrica  inodora.  S7. 

Myrica,  Notes  on  Genus.  37S. 

Mystics  of  Germantown,  46 

Mystic  sciences,  42. 

Myxomycetes.  Mr.  Bilgram?-  . omlliiuii 
of,  34;i ;  New  American,  iVi-t :  A  new 
genus  of,  363 ;  studv  of,  342,  343,  345, 
363. 


Nageli  at  Munich,  337. 

Nama  Rothrocki,  309. 

Name  of  Schweinitz,  von  or  de?  127. 

Names  of  California  Big-tree,  398. 

Nantucket,  Flora  of,  219. 

National  l)ispen.satory,  277. 

National  Export  Exposition,  account  of, 

428. 
Native  Flora,  Additions  to  our,  242. 
Nativities  cast,  46. 
National  Museum.  40. 
Natural  HLstory,  Elements  of,  412. 
Natural  System,  development  of,  48. 
Nectandra  Puchurv— major  and  minor, 

207. 
Nectaries.  Secretion  of  Water  from,  339. 
Nectarines  at  Kartram's.  70. 
N'eiderlein.  Gustav,  Sketch  of.  410. 
N'elumbium  luteum.   Preliminary  Notes 

on,  291. 
Nereid  Society,  4. 
Xeviusia  Alabamennis,  17. 
New  Caledonia,  Plants  of,  281. 
New  .Jersey  Forester,  402. 
New  .Jersey   Oora,  studied  by  Dr.    J.  B. 

Brinton,  296. 
New  .Jersey  plants.  Catalogue  of,  242. 
New  .Jersey  flora  and  Mrs.  Treat,  299. 
New  Mexican  plants.  29.  282. 
New  Remedies,  editor  of.  318. 
.\'ew  York  Botanical  Garden,  272. 
Xew  Zealand  plants,  281. 
Nicaragua,  306;  Account  of,  428. 
Nitella.  19. 
Noisette  Pose.  194. 

Nom  de  plume  of  Capt.  Mcllvaine,  314. 
North  American  fungi,  263. 
North  American    Fungi,  description  of 

centuries,  267. 
North  American  Herbarium,  2i'. 


!  North  American  Plants,  Check  List  of, 
:587. 

North  American    Pyrenomycetes,    The, 
j  205. 

'   North  American  Sylva,  157. 

North  Brook  Chestnut  Tree.  431. 

North  C'arolina,  Plora  of,  388. 

North  Pacific  Survey,  29. 

Norway  maple,  introduced,  434. 

Norway  pine,  311. 

Norway  spruce.  69. 

North  wood  Park,  74. 

Nostoc,  223. 

Notable  trees,  articles  on.  367. 
i   Notes  on  some  Species  of  Cucumis,  401. 

Notes  of  Travel,  186. 

Nursery  of  Josiah  Hoopes,  287. 

Nursery  of  Thomas  Meehan  &  Sons,  254. 
I  Nutgrove,  estate  of  Nuttall,  157. 
I  Nuttall,  Thomas,  4,  24.  25,  144;  assistant 
of.  231 ;  and  B.  S.  Barton.  112 ;  bibli- 
ography of,  1.5S.  159:  biography  of, 
151;  book  of.  8:  at  Cambridge,  1.55; 
collections  of,  24;  lectures  of,  197; 
paper  by,  2:^2 :  pecan  tree  of.  436 ; 
portrait  of,  151:  return  to  England, 
157;  return  to  America,  157;  travels 
of,  112,  1;54,  156. 

Nuttallia,  1.58. 

Nymphsea  odorata.  118. 

Nyssa  Ogeche,  l:J3;  svlvatica,  :^,11. 


Oak:  Pin,  ;^12 :  The  Rock,  311,  312;  The 
Swamp  White,  311. 

Oaks,  The,  2;S5;  of  North  America,  7.. 

Objects  of  Commercial  I\[useum.  :^5. 

Observations    on    the    Inhabitants,   Cli- 
mate, Soil,  etc.,  Bartram's,  .54. 

Observations  of  Mr.  Meehan,  251. 

Observations  on  Some  Parts  of  Natural 
History,  109. 

Odes  of  Horace,  2:^,7. 

Oil  of  Bay,  377,  378. 

Oil  of  Birch,  :^65. 

Oil  i:>aintings  of  Logan.  42. 

Old  field  pine,  311. 

Oleo-resins,  Notes  on,  :577. 

On  Plants    and  Animals  in  their  Wild 
State.  192. 

On  the  Colonies  of  Plants  Observed  Near 
Philadelphia,  210. 

Ontario  Lake,  54. 

Ontario  Park,  253. 

Opuntia  Rafinesquii,  147  ;  vulgaris  in  New 
Jersey,  328. 

Orange  leaf  scab,  362. 

Orcadella  operculata,  363. 
I   Orchids,  m. 

Orchis  spectabilis,  244. 

Order  of  Worship,  Reformed  Church,  2;^7. 
Ordinance  setting  aside  Bartram  Garden, 

74. 
Oregon  maple,  256. 

Organic  Materia  Medica,  Manual  of.  277. 
Origin  of  Floral  Structures.  :312. 
Origin  of  Species,  Darwin's,  5,  10. 
Origin  of  Stars,  The,  198. 
Ornamental  bed,  19. 
Ornamental  Trees,  Handbook  of,  25. 
Ornithology,  The  American.  87. 
Orobanche  minor  in  New  Jersey,  328. 
Orontium  aquaticum,  19. 
Orthotricha.  Note  on,  :S63. 
Oryzoi)Sis,  1.58. 
0.sage  orange,  118;  introduetiou  of,  9. 


IN  I)  MX. 


4r,i 


fJsmorrluzii,  1  17. 

OsimiiiMo    ciniiMnininfa,    var.    Irornlosn, 

ill's. 
OulliiH's  of  I.oftnifs  on  M.-Hi-rin  Mcilicn 

iind  linttiny,  k;:;. 
( >\  iT-cMip  (»jiU.  ;;il. 
Oxalis,  21  ;  ^Mainlis,  :",.K|  ;  recurvii,  '.\x\. 


I'jiiiiters"  Arhoroliiiii.  ISfi:  jiajuT  (in.   llXi. 
I'MJnter,  .lacdlt,  l>ii>Kiai»hv  of,  JIO. 
I'aintcr,  Miiisliall.  liiovrni'i.liy  of  ISl. 
J'aiiitiiit,'   in   oil  of  Koheit  hrid^L's,    1<)'> ; 

of  (;oo.  J$.  \Vo(.(l.  ISO. 
Painlini,'sof  Forest  Leaves, 2:;l. 
raiiitiii^'s  of  Lofjan.  12. 
I'alanu'dea  earmita.  Skeleton  of,  ;MH. 
raieo-lxitany,  li;.  IS?. 
raieozf)ic  hills,  H. 
Talni  house  of  University,  21. 
I'allas's  herljarium.  ]U\. 
rainier,  T.   Chalkley,  bio^M•aI>hy  of,  ".7S  ; 

articles  by,  :!7lt. 
Palmer,  Lewis,  biographv  of.  :'.ls. 
I'ahiier,  Dr.,  IC,  2o,2(;,  2y.  2.S2,  :32(3. 
I'alinetto.  The,  :!-10. 
raliiiettos,  Tannins  of.  ofiS. 
I'aiiaw-tree.  l:!:5 ;  at  Vernon  Park,  VM). 
I'ajier  and  Ck»th.  Origin  of,  :V.)1. 
Parasitic      Plants,      Germination       and 

(irowth  of,  :S2S. 
Pardee  Hall,  burning  of,  2:is. 
Parker,     Charles    ¥.,    2(5.    211,    ■Pi2?,,    r,2i; 
l)iography  of,  22<J  ;  and   the  llora  of 
New  .Jersey,  2:51. 
I'arkinsons  Herbal,  oO. 
Parlatore,  Prof.,  of  Italy,  281. 
Parmentier,  Nicolas  S.,  24. 
I'arrv,   Dr.  0.   C,  Ki,  25,  24,   20,    280,   282, 

28(3,  :;26. 
Partial  Flora  at  Nazareth,  A,  128. 
Paspalum,  Monograph  on,  150. 
Pathological  botany,  1(3. 
Paulownia,  collin  made  of,  ISO. 
Paulownia  imperialis,  Structure  of,  398. 
Peaches  at  Uartram's,  70. 
Peanut.  398. 
Pears  at  Bartram's,  70. 
Pear  Tree  of  Lord  Petre,  (i7. 
Peary,  Lieut.,  arctic  expe<lition  of,  307. 
Peary  expedition,  botanist  of,  221,  307. 
Pecan  tree  of  Nuttall,  43(>. 
Peck,  Professor  of  Cambridge,  110. 
Peck,  Prof.  C.  H.,  2(30,  293. 
Pediastrums  of  the  U.  S..  222. 
Peirce  arboretum,  410. 
Peltandra  undulata.  Jelly-like  Secretion 

of  Fruit,  ;3.S2. 
Penikese.  Mass.,  3(M. 
Penn's  colonists,  272. 
Pennsylvania    Forestry    Association,  32 : 
Flora,  Sketch  of,  239  :  Forestry  Statis- 
tics, 390;  Herbarium,  238;  Historical 
Society,    40 ;    Horticultural    Society, 
40;  Hospital,  History  of,  1S2 ;  Plants, 
Check    List    of,   :-i77 ;    Railroad  Com- 
pany's Building,  'M'>. 
Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society,  first 

exhibition  of.  194. 
Penn  Treaty  Elm,  4:32 ;   descendants  of, 

432. 
Pentstemon  Ificvigatus,  341 ;  Smallii,  384. 
Peppermint,  Oil  of,  :^()5. 
Pepsin,  Essence  of,  :-;77. 
Pereira's  Materia  Medica,  203. 
Permanent  Objects  for  Microscope,  310. 


Persimmon,  2."),  :',ii, 

Personon  laurifolium.  (U\. 

Peters.  Rev.  Jolin  K..  Kil. 

Pelre  Pear  Tree,  07,  1:'.:'.. 

I'encechuuun  Canbvi.  :U'>t). 

PfeMer.  Dr.  Williuin,  :{:{7,  :;so. 

I'hullus,  A  New,  :{.'.2. 

I'harmacy,  American  Journal  of.  424. 

Pharmaceutical  Cliemi.stry,  Text-hook 
b(jok  of.  ;3<;5. 

Pharmaceutical  Side  of  Hotnny,  2:^. 

Phurmacopiiia  by  (Jeo.  li.  Wood,  182; 
revised.  2(M. 

Phenol  sr)di(iue,  377. 

Phenologicul  incjuiries,  11. 

Philadelphia,  a  botunio  centre,  40. 

Philadeljihia  liotunical  Club,  sketch  of, 
:^0:  founded.  :'.70. 

Philadeljiliia  College  of  Pharmacy  17:'.  ; 
Alumni  Iveport  of,  424. 

Philadelpiiia  Court  ttf  Honor,  :;90. 
I    Philadelphia's    distance     from    Atlantic 
I  Ocean,  New  York,  Washington,  L 

Philadelj)liiu,  first  settlement  of.  1  ; 
grasses  of,  :3:30;  Library  Company  of. 
40 ;  Moss  Cha}>ter.  description  of,"422  ; 
Mu.seums,  2.53 ;  Mycological  Center, 
31 ,  42.S. 

Phhem  in  Gelsemium  sempervirens,  414. 

Phlox  Carolina,  Analysis  of,  :^«35. 

Photographs  of  Marshall  house,  8;5. 

Phyllostictas  of  North  America,  24k. 

Physalospora  Bidwellii,  :301. 

I'hysic.  study  of,  by  Bartram,  449. 

Physiology,  advance  c»f,  11. 

Phyto-Bez'oars,  Review  of  our  Knowle<lge 
of,  ;39.s. 

Phytolacca  decandra.  Properties  of,  :Y»(>. 

Picea  Engelmanni,  2.55,  290;  orientalis, 
•290  :  pungens.  290  ;  Sitchensis,  290  ; 
Smith iana,  290. 

Pickering,  Charles.  4,  11.  24,  25 ;  biogra- 
phy of,  190  ;  travels  of.  192. 

Pietists.  German.  5. 

Pike's  Peak,  Plants  of,:«:^. 

Pimenti  and  Cloves,  ;^77. 

Pines.  Articles  on  the,  :301,  302,   288.  289. 

Pine,  Norway,  311  ;  The  Red,  :311. 

Pine  Street  removed  from  City  plan,  21. 

Pinetum  of  Josiah  Hoopes,  description 
of,  288. 

Pinguicula,   Mrs.  Treat's  studies  on,  299. 

Pin  Oak,  Robust,  :305. 

Pinus   Austriaca.  28.S:    Bank.siana,    219; 
Bungeana.    '289 ;   densiliora.   289 ;   ex- 
celsa,  283;   ttexilis,   28',i :    inops.    2><\) : 
Koraiensis.  •2«9 ;  Lambertiana.  2.s8,  295 : 
Larieio,    288  ;  monticola.    J.ss  ;  palus- 
tris,  '289;  Pence.  •2S8 ;  ponderosji.  ;395 ; 
l)ungens,     24:?,     '289:     resinosa.    2S9 ; 
rigida,  289;     rigida   at   Cape    Henlo- 
jten,    311;     Sabiniana.    '2S\t ;    Strobus 
nivea.288;  .sylveslris  ;  Tada.  289. 
Pioneers  of  Science  in  America,  92. 
Pitchered  Insectivorous  ['hints,  :^7I. 
Pitcher-plants,  Preparation  of  Ei)idermis 

of,  :371. 
Plan  to  explore  western   territories,   55. 
Plankton  Society,  I. 

Plant  Analysis,  ;30l ;  Chemistry,  :^75 ; 
Communities,  3 ;  Doctors,  Need  of, 
:?97  ;  Form,  Chemical  Basis  of.  :^75 ; 
Forms  on  Mexico  Tablets.  :^90  ;  Hairs, 
:5:vl ;  Names  in  New  Jersey,  399. 
Plantu'  Heermannianie.  10,  177. 
Planttc  Kaneana^  (Jro.'uljiiidii-M',  177. 


452 


INDEX. 


Plantfe  Pmttenianrc,  177. 

riantacro  rat.-isronica,  var  Aristata,  ?A\. 

riaiitf.- CiyiitdLranies  do  France.  208. 

riaiitiiis  "'t'  coiiiffroiis  trees,  2.S7. 

riuntinK  of  trees  in  Fairmount  I'ark,  310. 

I'lants  Appearing  in  Flower  in  the  Neigh- 
borhood of  I'hihidelphia  from  Feb- 
ruary to  November,  251). 

Plants  of  Arctic  Regions,  24;  from  Asia 
Minor,  21);  Australia,  2S;  of  Bahamas, 
?,T2;  of  Bolivia,  21);  of  Hrazil,  2;);  of 
Chiapas  Mexico,  29 ;  of  Chili,  21) ;  of 
China,  28 ;  of  Delaware,  27o ;  of 
Formosa,  28;  ofFrancc.  2S;  collected 
by  Wm.  Ciambel,  2o2;  of  Germany, 
281 ;  from  Greece,  29 ;  from  Green- 
land, 29;  from  Guatemala,  29;  of  the 
Holy  Land,  282;  of  Japan,  28;  from 
Kurdistan,  29;  of  Lancaster  Co.,  241  ; 
of  Lebanon,  282;  of  Lewis  and  Clark, 
116;  of  John  Lyon,  116;  from  Mace- 
donia. 29 ;  of  Mauvaises  Terres,  211  ; 
from  Mesopotamia,  29;  of  Tal)aseo, 
Mexico,  29  ;  of  New  Caledonia,  281 ; 
Catalogue  of  New  Jersey,  242 ;  of 
Pike's  Peak,  32:^;  of  South  America, 
29 ;  of  Tasmania,  28  ;  from  West  In- 
dies, 29. 

Plukenet's  herbarium,  IIG. 

Plums  at  Bartram's,  70. 

Podophyllum  Resin,  377;  Structure  of, 
335. 

Podophyllum  peltatum.  Variations  of, 
242. 

Poems  bv  Cieo.  Webb,  43. 

Poems  of  llalliday  Jackson,  223. 

Poinsett,  Mr.,  Mexican  Minister,  195. 

Poinsettia  pulcherrima,  introduction  of, 
195. 

Poisonous  fungi,  315. 

Poisonous  Plant,  An  Additional,  ?,<:)C,. 

Poleeat  Hollow,  Legend  of,  315. 

Poleinoniacea',  241. 

Polygonacea-,  241. 

Polyporeie,  209. 

Pond  of  University,  19. 

Poplar  Tree,  311. 

Pores  of  Libriform  Tissues,  3.55. 

Porter,  Dr.  H.  C,  11,  16,  23;  sketch  of,  411. 

Porter,  Prof.  Thos.  C,  11,  280,  327,  aS3  ; 
biogra])hy  of,  236 ;  tribute  to,  239 ; 
bibliography  of.  241;  encourages  R. 
(i.F.eehdoldt,  347. 

Port  land  ia,  Us. 

I'uerto  Rican  I'lants,  282. 

Portrait  of  Wm.  Bartram,  86;  of  J.  W. 
Harshberger,  :39l ;  of  Adam  Kuhn, 
88;  of  Le  Conte,  149;  of  Muhlenl>erg, 
92;  ofRafinesque,  147;  of  Thos.  Nut- 
tall,  151 ;  of  David  Townsend,  164  ;  of 
Dr.  Casper  Wistar,  108. 

Portulaca  grandiflora,  Irritable  Stamens 
of,  249. 

Post-graduate  Class  in  Botany,  16. 

Post,  Dr.,  of  Syria,  25,  281. 

Potamogeton    crispus,    Discovery    of    in 

America,  22.5. 
Potato,  The  Arizona,  310 ;  Origin  of,  399. 
Potter  s  Clay,  3. 

Powerful  Temperance  Sketches,  314. 
Practice  of  Medicine,  Treatise  on,  182. 
Pratt,  Henry,  garden  of,  194. 
Pratten's  collections,  10. 
Preface  to  Medieina  Britannica,  50. 
Preliminary    Notes    on    Nelumbium    lu- 
teum,  291. 


Prc-Linnfpan  Period,  5. 

I'rimeval  forests,  311,  395. 

Primeval  Forest,  311. 

Pringle,  Prof.  C.  G.,  16,  25,  26,  29,  282,  326. 

Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  account  of,  423;  American 
Phannaceutical  Associaion,  account 
of,  421  ;  .Vuiericau  Philo.sophical  So- 
ciety, 422. 

Prodromus  of  Fresh  Water  Algte,  317. 

I'roduction  of  Fruit,  Statistics  of,  :^99. 

Progress  of  Systematic  I'.otany  in  North 
America,  adihess  on,  2:',9. 

Proposition  of  Moses  Miirshall  for  west- 
ern exi'lorations,  105. 

Prunus  Alleghaniensis,  a  new  plum,  242, 
243  ;  scroti na,  weei)ing  variety  of,  255. 

Pterostyrax  hisiiidum.  256. 

Ptychos]ienii:i  elegaus,  :;3. 

Public  career  of  Thomas  Meehan,  252. 

Public  services  of  Wm.  Darlington,  l;J7. 

Public  School,   Landreth,  91. 

Puerto  Rico,  botanical  exploration  of, 
:>ss  ;  visited  by  Dr.  Garber,  303. 

Pumpkin,  An  American  Plant,  397. 

Purchase  of  Bartram's  Garden,  72,  74; 
of  Ellis's  herbaria,  272 ;  of  Martin- 
dale's  herbarium,  327. 

Pursh,  Frederick,  4,  24,  96,  111,  133,  330; 
book  of,  8;  and  Lewis  and  Clark 
plants,  27 ;  biography  of,  113 ;  travels 
of,  114, 115  ;  diary  of,  115. 

Purshia  tridentata,  ;}66. 

Pvrenomycetes,  The  North  American, 
265. 

Pyrrhopappus  Rothrockii,  309. 

Pyrus  coronaria,  407. 


Quaker  settlers,  early,  2. 

Quassia  amara,  207  ;  excel sa,  207. 

Queen  Ulrica  of  Sweden,  52. 

Queletia  mirabilis,  293. 

Quercus  dentata,  255;  Gambelii,  233; 
heterophvlla,  6S,  323.  :-!28 ;  hetero- 
phylla,  liybridity  of,  6s  ;  heterophylla 
at  Marshallton,  83;  Phellos,  66;  mac- 
rocarpa,  185,  349. 

Questions  on  College  Botany,  334. 

Quinces  at  Bartram's  70. 

Quincy's  Medical  Lexicon,  79. 

(iuiuia,  Kstiuiation  of,  365. 

Quinine  P.imurias,  377. 


Rabenhorst's  Fungi  Europfci,  268. 

Races  of  Man,  Chart  of,  234  ;  movement 
of,  192 ;  their  Geographical  Distribu- 
tion, 192. 

Rafinesque,  C.  S.,  4,  66;  biography  of, 
144 ;  candidacy  of  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  13 ;  and  Durand,  176 ; 
views  on  evolutian,  147 ;  genera  of, 
147  ;  grave  of,  146  ;  herbarium  of,  146  ; 
and  Charles  F.  Parker,  230  ;  portraits 
of,  147. 

Rafinesquia,  147. 

Rambles  in  East  Florida,  303. 

Ramsey,  William  H.,  172. 

Rand,  Theodore.  32. 

Ranunciilaeea;,  s. 

Ranunculus  abortivus  var.  micranthus, 
Ml. 

Rarer  Plants  of  Easton,  131. 

Rare  shrubs  at  Stenton,  42. 

Raspberries  at  Bartram's,  70. 


iNni:x 


Ufispborry  experiments  on,  10'). 
Kale  orc'iremniHiliitioii  in  I'limls.   II:;. 
Kiitlh'simke,  l-'asciiuitinj:   i-'iicully  f»f,  HO. 
Ruvenei.  Dr.  II.  W./J.'),  1S(».  L-Cd.  JTl  ;  <lcatli 
of,  1^{>I  :  Kiinf,'i  Anierii-aiii,   •^(•7  ;  Caio- 
liiiiaiii  K.xsiecali,  'J<il,  '2*'>1. 
Ran,  Knj,'ene  A.,  I»i(»,i,'ni|iliy  of,  ;V)'J. 
Read,  Mr.  .James,  21. 
Red  cedar.  r>r.,  :;il. 
Re-ilis(H>very  of  I.ewisaml  ('lark   Plants, 

\U\. 
Redliehl.  .lohn  II.,  I,  11.  LT..   'JC,  'JSJ,   :i;V.) ; 
artiele  l.y,  ll'.i;  he(|nest  <»f,  :'.0;  l)ioKra- 
].hy  of,  Jll  ;  l)ihlio.i,M-ai>iiy,  217;  Con- 
servator  of   IJotanieal    Seetion,   21:?; 
resolntions  on  death  of,  2ir>. 
Re<lfield  Ilerbarinm  Fnnd,  ;!0,  217, 
Redlieldia  llexnosa,  21;"). 
Red  shale,:-,. 

Reil-wdod,  is."! ;  forests  visited,  :!'.):'>.  • 
Reetlv  .'>\vami)i^ociety,  1. 
Relurestini;  Waste  Lands  in  Holland.  102. 
Rehm's     Aseoniyeetes,     270;     CIaduni:c, 

Reiehert,  John,  105. 

Reinke,  Prof.,  :'.:;7. 

JU'liqniie  I'.ahhvinianie,  07,  121,  111. 

Removal  of   Tliomas  i*.  James  to  Cam- 

brid.w,  l'^7. 
Report  on  Forests,  'iOl,  313;  of  Forestry 

Commission,  :^08; 
Report  on  Forestry,  Gilford's,  402. 
Reserves,  forest,  section  suited  for,  309. 
Resins,  Classitlcatioii  of,10W  ;  work  on,  23. 
Resin  of  I'odoiihylliim,  377. 
Respiration  iu  i'lanls,  330;  in  Diatoms, 

371). 
Resolutions  on  death  of  John  H.  Red- 
field,  215. 
Retinosi)ora  ericoides,  250  ;  pisifera,  2;^C  ; 

scjuarrosa,  250;  Japanese,  201. 
Revision  of  the  Pharm.acop<eiH,  204. 
Rex,    George,    11  ;     biography    of,    :^42  ; 
authoritv  on  Myxomycetes,  312;  por- 
trait of,  ;il2. 
Rhamnus    Rurshiana,   discovery   of,    OG ; 

introduction  of,  (id. 
Rhododendrons  in  Evans'   Garden,  170  ; 

Notes  on,  212. 
Rhododendron  Catawbiense,  :i*^4  ;  maxi- 
mum,    movements    of    leaves,    :'.".»',) ; 
punctatum,  K7. 
Rhus-poisoning,  :^.7<S. 
Rhus-toxicodendron,  when  most  active, 

397. 
Rhynchospora,  Monograph  on,  124. 
Ribes  aureum,  11.S. 
Richards,  J)r.  Herbert  M.,  35-1. 
Ridgway,  C.  S.,  ?/2. 
Rittenhouse  Academy,  30:?. 
Rivers,  Delaware,  Schuylkill,  1. 
Roan,  Mt.,  :>S4. 
Robinson,  Dr.  B.  L.,  40:?. 
Rockery,  University  Garden,  19,  20. 
Roekhill,  Thomas  (i.,  a  merchant,  24G. 
Rodman  Ruttonwood  Tree,  l;W. 
Romell,   L.,   Fungi  Exsiccati    Scandina- 

vici,  270. 
Ronaldson's  Cemetery,  140. 
Rooms  in  Bartram  House,  59,  01. 
Root  Hairs,  Action  of,  312. 
Rorer,  Mrs.  S.  T.,  :r2. 
Rosaceous    Genera,    Structure  of    Cork 

Tissues  in,  405. 
Rose  bay,  05. 
Rose  Manual,  195. 


Itosierucinn  Mystics,  40. 

Rothroek,  Dr.  J..seph  T..11.  10,  20,  32,  ISO. 
:;20,  :U).  :'.9l  ;  article  by,  12;  bioirrapliy 
«»f  :i05;  botJinist  to  Wheeler  expedi- 
tion, -.m:  collections  of,  29  ;  cruise  to 
West  Hidies,  Hi;  election  (.t,  b.;  lec- 
tures by,;^09;  tcuehing  of,  b>;  travels 
of.  ;mk;. 

Kothrockiacordifolia,  :'.0".>. 

Roumegiiere's  Fungi  GuUici,  271. 

Rovirosa,  Prof.,  29. 

Roval  Botanic  Museum,  Berlin,  29,  ISI. 

Roval  Garden  at  Kew,  249. 

RuilbiTkia  hirta,  A  Monstrous  Specimen 
of,  312. 

Rugel,  Dr.  Ferdinand,  •.V'C. 

Rule,  Rttbert  J.,00. 

Rushy.  l)r.,2.S2,  :'.20. 

Ruschenberger,  Dr.  W.  S.  W.,  24  ;  sketch 
of  l)otanical  work,  112. 

Russian  translation  <jf  Klciiieiits  ol 
Bolanv,  110. 


Saccardo's  Mycotheca  Veneta,  2t;s. 

.Sachs"  History  of  Botany,  5. 

Sachse,  Julius  F.,  book  l»y,  .).  42. 

Sadtler,  Prof.  S.  P.,  :?05,  :;75,  3.S'j. 

Satt'ron,  Note  on,  :?90. 

.Sagittaria  calycina,220.  ^.     ,      , 

Sago  i)alm    at  Bartram's,  70;  of  KoVtert 

Morris,  4:i5. 
Salisburia  adiantifolia,  431. 
Salix  Muhlenbergiana,  90. 
Salmon,  1.  ^         ,.  r 

Salt  Lake  Basin,  Sketch  of  the  Botany  of, 

177. 
Sand  garden,  170. 
Sandwich  Island  plants,  24,  2K2. 
Sanguinaria    Canadensis,     ;«4 ;     further 

remarks  on,  :5:?5. 
Sanitary  Inlluence  of  Forest  Growth,  3.iO. 
Saraca  In<lica,  Bark  of,  ;^75. 
Sargent,    Prof.  C.   S.,  282;  suggestion  of, 

27  ;  Silva  of  North  America,  (50. 
Sarracenia,   Description  of  New  Species 

of,  159. 
Sarracenia  flava,   19  ;  purpurea,  19  :  pur- 
liurea  relations  to  S.   variolaris,  :i40 ; 
variolaris,  299.  ^   ^   ^ 

Sarracenia,  Mrs.  Treat's  Studies  of,  299. 
Sarracenias,  Southern,  21. 
Sartwell,  Dr.,  2.S0. 
Sassafras.  2.55 ;  Trees,  ;-Ul. 
.^avin,  :;ll.  ,     ,__^ 

Sawdust  used  to  smother  weeds,  1^0. 
Scabiosa  australis,  219. 
Sch-vfler,  Dr.  Charles,  biography  of.  303. 
Scanunonv,  Essay  on,  207. 
Schively.  Dr.  A.  F..  sketch  of,  112. 
Schi/ioa  pusilla,  217,  297. 
Schi/.ophytic  Society.  4. 
i^chleideu,  book  of.  10;  views  of.  10. 
Schmaltz,  C.  S.  Ratinesque,  IW. 
Schmucker,  Dr.  C.  S.,32;  sketch  of.  H.?. 
Schnor,  Dr.,28L  ,      ,       .         e 

Schobbenhausen,    Frederick,   lands    of, 

bought  l)y  Bartram,  .vS. 
Schomburgk,   Robert  IL,  biography   of, 

190;  line  of,  190.  .     .   ,_ 

School  of  Biology,  erection  of,  b>,  1<. 
Schilpf.  Dr.  Johann  Davi<l,  9:>. 
Schrader,  Heinrieh  Adolph.  90. 
Schreber,  90. 
Schultes  Bipontinus,  2bl. 


SchuylkiU  River,  1. 


454 


TXBEX. 


Pohwfofrri fallen.  Dr.  D.  F.,  24,  1:^,0. 
Sclnvartz,  J'rctf.  Olof.  90. 
Sclnvart/.inarm.  H.  J.,  architect   of  TTor- 

ticnltuiiil  Hall,  Fairmoimt  Park,  l:;0. 
Schwendener,  Prof.,  o-il,  o54. 
Schweinitz,  L.   1>.  de,  4,  24  ;  bequest  of, 

24  ;    blof?raphy,     127 ;    book    by,     ii ; 

herbarium  of,  IBO;  journeys  of,  129; 

published  species  of,  2(H). 
Schweinitzia  odorata.  ]:-;2. 
Sciadopitys,  290. 
Scientitic  Journals,  historical  account  of, 

422. 
Scolasticism,  medieval,  5. 
Scott,  Prof.  William  B.,  address  of,  2:;9. 
Scrophulariacere,  241. 
Scutellaria  nervosa,   225;    resinosa,   24.5; 

saxatilis,  225. 
Scytonema,  22:5. 
SeJi  <irass  Society.  4. 
Seashore  Plants,  ;39(i. 
Sea  sickness,  description  of,  201. 
Sea  Weeds,  articles  on,  285. 
Seckel,  Lawrence,  4;:55. 
Seckel  i'ear  Tree,  The  Original,  435. 
Second  i)eriod  of  botany  in  Phila.,  5. 
Seed  business  of  Robert  Puist,  194. 
Seed  catalogue  of  Bartram's  garden,  09. 
Seeds  from     Himalayas,    169 ;    of    sugar 

maple,  53. 
Selfish  Flower,  The,  293. 
Seneca  Indians,  223. 
Senecio  precox.  Water  Storage  in,  398, 

399 ;  Smallii,  3<S4. 
Senna  Cassia,  206. 
Sensitive  Plants  under  Colored  Screens, 

372. 
Septoria,  Synopsis  of  Species  of,  248. 
Sequoia  gigantea,  135, 395 ;  sempervirens, 

185. 
Sequoia,  A  Pennsylvanian,  312. 
Serial  Publications,  historical  account  of, 

422. 
Serpentine  Rocks  of  Hoboken,  154. 
Sex  in  plants,  4. 
Sexes  of  Plants,  doctrine  of,  5. 
Sexual  System,  C. 
Sexual  Variations  in  Castanea  Americana, 

323. 
Seymour   and    Earle,  Economic    Fungi, 

270. 
Shad,  1. 

Sharp] ess,  Dr.  Wm.  T.,  97,  227,  410. 
Shaw  garden,  St.  Louis,  18. 
Shepherdia  argentea,  ?S5. 
Sherard's  herbarium,  116. 
Short,  Dr.  Charles  W.,  25;    herbarium  of, 

25,  26. 
Short's  MedicinaBritannica,  50. 
Shrigley,  Ethel   Austin,  paper    by,    432, 

4:^,6. 
Siberian  plants.  24,  281. 
Sierra  Leone,  collections  of  fungi,  207. 
Siphoi)tychium  Casparyi,  343. 
Sisyrynchium  Arizonicum,  ;^10. 
Slum  ('ars(mii,  :-j41. 
Sketch  of  Flora  of  Penna.,  239. 
Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  Salt  Lake  Basin, 

177. 
Sketch  of  the  Botany  of  South  Carolina 

and  (Jeorgia,  121. 
Sketches,  Powerful  Temperance.  314. 
Small,  John  K.,  383. 
Small  parks,  Mr.  Meehan  interested  in, 

252. 
Smilax  rotundifolia  and  Thomas  Nuttall, 

152. 


Smith,  Aubrey  H.,  29,  2.59  ;  biography  of, 

210:  herbarium  of,  210;  plants  from,  16. 
Smith,  Charles  E.,259,  3.53,  ;;59  ;  biograpay 

of,  227. 
Smith,  J)aniel  B.,  biography  of,  173;  col- 
lections of,  23. 
Smith,  George,  biography  of,  188;  book 

of,  167. 
Smith,  John  Jay,  118;  biography  of.  183. 
Smith,    Kline,    French    &  Co.   purchase 

IMartindale  Herbarium,  ;^27. 
Smith,  Fselma  C,  biography  of,  319. 
Smitlisonian  Institute,  40. 
Smyrna  box -wood,  4:j3. 
Societies,  plant,  4. 
Soda    Water,    lirst    manufacture    of,    in 

Philadelphia,  175. 
Soja  ))ean,  366. 

Solanum  tuberosum.  Origin  of,  399. 
Solidago  humilis.  242 ;    Muhlenbergii,  90  ; 

Roanensis,  :'>si ;  Gadkinensis,  ;i85. 
Sorghum,  Sugar  from,  :;76. 
South  African  jdants,  2si. 
South  American  plants,  24. 
South  Floridan  jdants,  282. 
Soulh  Seas,  Kx]>ionition  of,  191. 
Soutliworlh,  .Miss  Ellie,  3.54. 


Spanisli  plants.  281. 

Spalding,  Mrs.  Volney  M.,  354. 

Sparassis,  Herbstii,  293. 

Sparganium  eurycarpum,  19. 

Spearmint,  Oil  of,  305. 

Specimen  Florre  Americsc  Septentrionalis 

Cryptogamicpe,  130. 
Spectral  flames,  46. 
Spegazzini.267;  Hongos  Sud  Americanos, 

269. 
Sphseria,  Descriptions  of,  1:51. 
Sphagna,  Additions  to  Habitats  of,  352. 
Sphagnum  bogs,  3 ;  Bog  Society,  4. 
Spirali.sm,  Vegetable,  294. 
Spirogyra  Cells,  Abnormal    Growth    of, 

355. 
Spirogyra,  Conjugation  of,  371. 
Spirogvra  nitida,  Chemico-physiological 

Study  of,  411. 
Spook  Hill,  46. 
Spores  of  Myxomycetes,  363. 
Spreugel  Kurt,  90. 
Spruce,   The  Red,   cones,  53 ;  tidewater, 

290. 
Stachys  cordata,  242  ;  Rothrockii,  :509. 
Staining  of  vegetable  tissues,  double,  2.57. 
Staining  of  vegetable  tissues,  310. 
Staircase  in  Bartram  house,  02. 
Starches  in    Cacao,    :5:^4 ;    of    Root   and 

Rliizome  Drugs.  3:14. 
Starch  Grains,  Study  of,  390. 
State  Botanist  of  Pennsylvania,  251. 
Statistics  of  Pennsylvania  Forests,  :590. 
St.  Augustine,  Life  and  Labors  of,  2:57. 
St.  Domingo  plants,  24. 
Steironema,  147. 
Stellaria  humifusa,  219. 
Stenton,  Germantown,  42 ;  Park,  74,  253. 
Stevenson,  Wm.   C,  Jr.,  345;  biography 

of,  :540. 
St.  John  quoted,  59. 
St.  Michael's  Church,  Germantown,  40. 
Story  of  big  cypress,  65  ;  of  the  daisy  and 

Bartram,  47. 
St.  Petersburg,  seeds  from,  18. 
Strawberries  at  Bartram's,  70. 
Strength  of  Timber  and  Medullary  Rays, 

:512. 
Strides  of  horticulture  in  Philadelphia, 

194. 


NDFtX 


455 


Stuartia  pentagvna.  S7. 

Study  of  Mosses.  1.S7. 

Study  in  Forestry,   with   original  Puiut- 

iligs  of  Forest  Leaves,  2:>1. 
Siinar  ('aiie,2;'>7. 

~uf,'ar  Maiile,  The,  311;  seeds  of,  58. 
Siii,'ar  fnmi  Sorj^huni.  87('>. 
Suilal)ility  of  Philadelphia  as  u  botanical 

c'AMitre,  10. 
Suksdorf,  William,  2(M\,  282. 
Suliivaiit,  NV.  T..  1S7,  2X0  ;    ooUeotions   of, 

2SI  :  letter  of,  22(!. 
Suniiiier  Sciioois  in  Hotany,  :>>'.). 
Superstition  and  Corn  Smut,  2'.io. 
Sus(|uehauna  Kiver.  ;")•! 
Swamp  mtiKUolia.  20. 
Swamp  Plant,  Aerating  Organs  of,  330. 
Swamp  Society,  4. 
Sweet  fern,  ri3. 
Sycamore,  2n.'i. 
Sydow's     Mycotheca      Marcliica,      2G0 ; 

llredinese,  2()9. 
Syllabus  of  Lectures  on  I\Iatoria  ]Me<iica, 

l(i3  :  of  Natural  Orders,  315. 
Sylva-  Teliuriana.  (')(!. 
Svmpiioricarpos  racemosii,  118. 
Syiioi.sis  of  tiie  Flora  of  Colorado,  2aS. 
Syno|)sis  l"'uugorum,  it. 
Svnoi)sis  Fungorum  in  America  Borealia, 

131. 
Synopsis  Fungorum  Carolinse  Superioris, 

130. 
Synopsis  of  the  Nortli  American  Species 

of  Septoria,  'lis. 
Syrian  plants.  25. 

Syrupus  aurantii,  377  ;  hictucarii,  377. 
Systematic  beds  of  University  garden,  17. 
System  of  Knglerand  Prautl,  IS. 
Systema  Xatune,  tj. 


Table  Kock,  381. 

Taccacese,  206. 

Talinum  teretifolium,  103;  communica- 
tion on,  :';;)3  ;  Ecological  Study  of.  :-'.<»8. 

Tanning  of  Some  Acorns,  '^66  ;  of  Quer- 
cus  alba,  :'>90  ;  Value  of  North  Ameri- 
can Trees,  :365. 

Tanning  material,  ;?6  :  Properties  of  Bark 
of  American  Trees,  :3()5. 

Tannins,  A  Monograph  on.  :^61 ;  Report 
on.  3(5() ;  of  Palmettos,  Hiv^ ;  work  on, 
23.  ■ 

Tatnall,  Edward,  biography  of,  225. 

'I'axodium  distichum,  65,  185. 

Taxonomy,  advance  of,  11. 

Taxonomy,  16. 

Teachingof  botany,  310. 

Telegraph  Company,  headtjuarters  of, 
306. 

Teosinthe  and  Maize,  Fertile  Crosses  of, 

Tertiary  ])eriod,  2.  3. 

Testing  department,  :37. 

Tfstudinaria  elephantipes,  70.. 

Tetramerism  in  Lilium  auratum,  218. 

Texas  Sarsaparilla.  207. 

Texas  Southern,  botanical  explorations 

of.  388. 
Texo-Mexican  plants,  28. 
Text-book  of  Botany,  Strasburger,  Noll, 

Schenck.  Schim])er,  111. 
Text-book  of  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry, 

:^()5. 
Thalictrum  coriaceum,  :>s,'> ;  pulygamum, 

385 ;  macrostylum,  385. 


Thelephorefp,  260. 
Theosophical  colonists,  12. 
Therapeuticsand  Pharmacology ,  Treatise 

on,  182. 
Therapeutics.  Treatise  on,  318. 
Thermotroi)i(;    Movements   in    Leaves  of 

Rluxlodendron,  3'.i0. 
Thesis  of  H.  S.  Bartcm,  100. 
Third  period  of  botany  in  Pliiia.,  8. 
Thorn  at  Bartram  Oarden,68. 
Thuja  occidentalis,  256. 
Till:ea.  158. 

Tiilandsia,  150;  Notes  on,  ;303. 
Tilmadoclie  compacta,  :^C>3. 
Timber  line  of  high  mountains,  Meehan's 

views  on,  21H. 
Tim  Price  Yarns,  31 1. 
Tinctura  mosclii,  377. 
Tinctura  strophanti,  :377. 
Tinicum  Island,  210. 
Toadstools,   cooking  of,   315;  edil>le,  31, 

315  ;  poisonous,  315. 
Tobe  Hodge,  :^.ll. 
Toms  Kiver.  3. 
Topographical    Atlas    of    Pennsylvania, 

Walling  it  (iray,  2;i0. 
Topographv  of  Philadelphia,  2. 
Torrey,   Pr»)f.  John,  151,  280;  and  Gray, 

96. 
Torrey 's  Peak,  218. 
Tower  of  13artram  house,  50. 
Townsend,  David,  1,   285;  biography   of, 

163  ;  portrait  of,  164. 
Townsendia,  163,  164,  errata. 
Townsendia  Rothrockii,  :)00. 
Townsend,  .John  K..  156. 
Tracey,  Prof.  S.  M.,  266. 
Transactions     American     Philosophical 

Society,   account    of,    123.  ;    Wagner 

Free  Institute,  425. 
Transactions   and    Proceedings   of    the 

Botanical  Society  of    Pennsylvania, 

account  of,  428. 
Trans-Continental  Survey,  Villard's,  283. 
Translation    of    German    Text-book    of 
'  Botany,  411 ;    of  Greek    inscription, 

Bartram    house,    59  ;     of     Michaux's 

Forest  Trees  of  America,  183. 
Transpiration  and  Leaves,  340  ;  of  plants, 

350. 
Transylvania  University,  145. 
Trautvetteria  palmata,  87. 
Travels  into  Arkansa  Territory,  159. 
Travels  of  Dr.  William  Baldwin.  122;  of 

Bartram.   51,  54;  of  V\'m.  Bartram,  7, 

86 ;    of    Wm.    Canbv,    280  ;     of    Wm. 

Gambel,  2:U  :   of  John    Giftord,  402; 

of  Kalm,  77  ;  of  Moses  Marshall,  102  ; 

of  J.  C.  Martindale,  :^23;  of  Nuttall, 

112,  153,  156  ;  of  Dr.  Pickering,  192  ;  of 

Pursh,  114  ;  of  Rothrock,  306. 
Travels     through     North     and     South 

Carolina,  etc.,  86. 
Traveler's  tree,  ;S3. 
Trelease,  Dr.  William,  :iso. 
Treat,   Mary,  11 ;  articles  by.    111;  biog- 
raphy of,  298  ;  mentioned  by  Darwin, 

299. 
Treatise  on   Coniferne.  286 ;    on    Materia 

Medica     and    Therapeutics,   318;   on 

Navigation,  79;    on    the   Practice  of 

Medicine,  1>^2 ;  on  Therapeuticsand 

Pharmacology,  isi>. 
Treatment  of  servants  by  Bartram,  50. 
Treaty  Elm  Park,  253. 
I   Treaty  Elm,  432. 


456 


INDEX. 


Tree  Charts,  235;  ferns.  38;  form,  312; 
growth,  311 :  photography,  312. 

Trees  in  Bnrtram  Garden,  433  ;  of  Phila- 
delphia, sketch  of  noted,  431. 

Trianea  bogatensis,  10. 

Tribute  to  Prof.  Thomas  C.  Porter,  239. 

Trichias,  Bamh'd-spore,  344. 

Trifolium  Virginieuui.  3S(;. 

Trimble,  Prof.  Henry,  11,  23,  375,  3'JO ; 
biograpliy  of,  3(]d. 

Trinidad  plants,  282. 

Trips  of  Moses  Marshall.  105. 

Tritratiou  of  Aniuionium  Carbonate,  377. 

Tropical  Botanic  Station,  31)H. 

Tropical  forest,  imaginary,  33. 

Trout,  1. 

Trustees  of  University,  letter  to.  13. 

Tsuga  Pattoniana,  2'JO. 

Tubers  of  Dioscorea  species,  277, 

Tubulina  cylindrica.  Notes  on  Develop- 
ment of,  343. 

Tuckerman,  Dr.,  ISO,  35G. 

Tulip  poplar,  :311. 

Tulip  tree,  255. 

Tunnel  Rock,  Fairmount  Park,  planted 
with  trees,  349. 

Tuolumne  Big-tree  Grove,  395. 

Tupelo,  255. 

Turkev  boxwood,  433. 

Tyler.  John  .T.,  185. 

Typha  latifolia,  19. 

Tweedy,  F.,  29,  195,  282. 

Tweedia,  195. 

Twins  of  Weasel  Branch,  314. 


rimus  Americana,  250. 

Ulrica,  Queen,  of  Sweden,  52. 

Uncle  Isaac,  47. 

T'nderwood,  Prof.,  327. 

Unitas  Fratrum,  127. 

University  Extension  Classes,  370. 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  40,  97  :  chair 
of  botany  at,  7 ;  Botanic  Garden  of, 
17;  History  of,  182;  oldest  botanical 
centre,  11. 

University  of  Upsal,  88. 

Umbilicaria,  96. 

Upsal,  88;  M'Mahon's  called,  117;  Uni- 
versity of,  88. 

Uredinea;,  Sydow's,  269. 

Utricularia,  150  ;  Mrs.  Treat's  studies  on, 
299. 

Use  of  Plants  among  Ancient  Peruvians, 
398. 

Vacation  Cruising,  310. 
Vaccine-'e,  new  plants  of,  159. 
Valerianella  Woodsiana  var.  patellaria, 

341. 
Yalsei,  Additions  to,  346. 
Valley  of  Mexico,  Flora  of,  398. 
Value  of  Botanical  Gardens,  372. 
Vanduzen,  Matthew,  4:^2. 
Vanilla,  Varieties  of,  ;^78. 
Van  Vleck,  .Jacob,  97. 
Variation  in  plants,  study  of,  408. 
Variation  in  Leaves,  :^27. 
Vascular  cryptogams,  study  of,  411. 
Vasev,  Dr.  George,  16,  280,  327,  385. 
Vauxhall  Garden,  433. 
Vegetable  fd^es,  136. 
Vegetable  and   Animal   Cells,   Structure 

and  Division  of,  368. 
Vegetable  Cell,   Structure  and   Division 

of,  371. 


Vegetable  Histology,  334. 
Vegetable  Kingdom,  Chart  of,  2;34. 
Vegetable  Kingdom,  Lindley's.  2.S4. 
Vegetable   Materia  Medica,   160;   of  the 

U.S..  162 
Vegetable  Tissues,  Staining  of,  310. 
Vegetation  of  Yellowstone  Hot  Springs, 

398. 
Venus  tiv-trap,  21 ;  movement  of  leaves 

of,  369. 
Venezuela  Fungi,  271 . 
Venezuela  and  Guiana,  boundary  of,  190. 
Veratrum  viride.  Structure  of,  ;>J5. 
Verbena  Tweediana.  195. 
Verbesina,  Abnormal  Flowers  of,  398. 
Vernal  Flora,  Origin  of,  ;^96. 
Vernon   Park,   184,  253;  papaw  trees  of, 

43(i ;  trees  of,  4:56. 
Viburnum  plicatum,  2.55. 
Victoria  regia  discovered,  190. 
Victoria  tank,  19. 

Villard's  North    Trans-Continental   Sur- 
vey, 28:3. 
Vine,  Fungous  Diseases  of,  :362. 
Vine  growing  at  Spring  Mills,  Pa.,  409. 
Viola,   1.50;  monograph  on,   130;  Mori)h- 

ologv  of,  :i90. 
Violet  Perfume,  390. 
Viola  tricolor.  Botanical  Study  of,  390. 
Viola  tricolor,  var.  arvensis,  242. 
Vir.gilia  lutea,  4:5:3. 
Visit     of     Pennsylvania     Horticultural 

Society  to  Bartram  Garden,  88. 
Vital  Force,  Correlation  of,  310. 
Vitality  of  Girdled  Limb,  >m. 
Vitis  pterophora.  401. 
Vou  Schweiuitz,  L.  D.,  4,  9,  24. 


Wagner  Free    Institute,   sketch    ot,   32  ; 

Transactions  of,  425. 
Walmslev,  W.  H.,  22. 
Waifs  of  Fighting  Rocks.  314. 
Walliug  &,  Gray's  Topographical  Atlas, 

2:^9. 
Walnuts,  The,  236. 
Walnuts  atBartram's,  70. 
Walnut,  The  Black,  :511 ;  The  Row  Farm, 

•Ml. 
Walter's  herbarium,  116. 
Walton,    Joseph,    article   by,    245;    bio- 
graphy of,  243. 
Wanamaker.  John,  garden  of,  400. 
Waples,  Professor  E.  B.,  :593. 
Warmer  burial-ground,  46. 
Washington,  Arbor,  67. 
Washingtonia,  147. 
Washingtonia     filamentosa,     Salt     and 

Sugar  in,  :365. 
Watson's    Botany    of    Clarence    King's 

Expedition,  187. 
Water-color  sketches  of  flowers,  414. 
Watson,  Gavin,  biography  of,  246. 
Waterhouse,  John  F.,  biography  of,  172 

lectures  of,  173. 
Water  liyacinths,  19  ;  lilies,  19. 
Water  Storage  and  Conduction  in  Senecio 

prfecox,  398,  :399. 
Wax  Palms,  :«. 
Weasel  r.ranch.  Twins  of,  314. 
Wel)b.  George,  Poem  of.  43. 
Weetls.  Two  Centuries  of  American,  291 ; 

of  Maine,  ?M. 
Welcouu"  Spring  Flowers,  293. 
West  Indi.'in  trt'cs  in   Klorida.  ;*.<i2. 
West  Indies  visited  by  Dr.  Kolhrock,  :JU7. 


INDEX. 


457 


Westtown  Farm,  flora  of,  244. 

Wheeler,   Lieut.,    explorations    of,    306; 

report  of,  310. 
White  azalea,   20;  birch,  20;  cedar,  53; 

pine,  288,  311. 
White  Cap,  Cruise  of,  307. 
White  Cedar,  Distribution  in  New  Jersey, 

402. 
White  Mountains,  exploration  of,  191. 
White  Oak  Bark,  Chemical  Study  of,  389, 
White  Sulphur  Springs,  trip  to,  386. 
Wigand,  Dr.,  death  of,  355. 
Wilder,  Prof.  Burt  G.,  304. 
Wilkes,  Lieut.  Charles,  191. 
Will  of  Rafinesque,  146. 
Williams,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Talcott,  32. 
Williamson,  Chas.  C,  biography  of,  374 ; 

botanical  trips  of,  374. 
Williamson,  John,  Notice  of,  219. 
Wilson,  Alexander,  and  Bartram  house, 

62,  87. 
Wilson,  Prof.  E.  B.,354. 
Wilson,  Mrs.  George,    presents   orchids, 

21. 
Wilson,  Dr.  Lucy  L.  W.,  Sketch  of,  415. 
Wilson,  Dr.  Thomas  B.,  188, 
Wilson,  Prof.    Wm.   P.,   11,  33,  354,   391  ; 

biography    of,  335:  bibliography  of, 

839 ;    studies    on    bald   cypress,  338 ; 

teaching  of,  16. 
Window    Gardens,    Home   and   School, 

398. 
Wingate,  Harold,  biography  of,  363. 
Wintergreen,  Oil  of,  366. 
Wissahickon,  colonists  on,  42. 
Wissahickon  Creek,  2 ;  region,  2 ;  woods, 

396. 
Wistar,  Dr.  Caspar,    biography  of,  108 ; 

portrait  of,   108 ;     and    western    ex- 
ploration, 105. 
Wistaria,  108. 
Wistaria  or  Wisteria?  108. 
Wistar,  Gen.  I.  J.,  letter  to  Prof.  Sargent, 

232. 
Wister,  Charles   J.,  196;    biography  of. 

144. 
Wister,  W.Wynne,  144;  biography  of,  196. 
Witch  hazel,  53. 

Witt,  Christopher,  biography  of,  42  ;  gar- 
den of,  43. 
Wolle,  Rev.  Francis,  11,  352  :  biography 

of,  221 ;  bibliography  of,  223. 


Wood,  Dr.  George  B.,  election  of,  316,  317, 

15  ;    biography  of,  180 ;    oil  painting 

of,  180. 
Wood,  Dr.  Horatio  C,   11,  15;  biography 

of,  316. 
Woodland  Avenue,  19. 
Woodlands  Cemetery,  113. 
Woodlands,  113,  133  ;  gingko  tree,  434. 
Woods  of  America,  36  ;  of  Berks  County, 

186  ;  of  Mexican  Republic,  37. 
Woodshed  at  Bartrani's,  63. 
Woodstown  xVatural  History  Club,  406. 
Woodwork  over  porch,  Bartram's,  .59. 
Work  of  J.  B.  Ellis,  estimate  of,  265. 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  338. 
Wright's  Cuban  Fungi,  271. 
Wyeth,  Captain,  plants  of,  155. 
Wyoming  plants,  241. 


Xanthoxylum  emarginatum. 


Yellow  gravel,  2. 

Yellow  snow,  242. 

Yellowstone  Hot  Springs,  Vegetation  of, 

398. 
Yellowstone    National  Park  visited,  395. 
Yellowstone  plants,  29,.  241. 
Yellow-wood,  65,  433. 
Yellow-wood  of  Germantown,  436 
Yosemite  Valley,  trip  to,  395. 
Yucca  angustifolia,  Chemical  Study  of, 


Zamia,  70. 

Zamia  integrifolia,  207. 

Zanthoxylum  Americanum,  113. 

Zantzinger,  25. 

Zelkova  crenata,  113 ;  account  of  Wood- 
lands, 434. 

Zelkova  Keaki,  of  Japan,  435. 

Zentmayer,  Joseph,  257,  345. 

Zentmaver  microscopes,  224. 

Zinzendorf,  Count,  127. 

Zizyphus  vulgaris,  256. 

Zoological  and  Floral  Distribution  of  the 
United  States,  209. 

Zoology,  professorship  of,  14. 

Zwingli,  Ulric,  Life  and  Times  of,  237. 


